A Portrait of Miss Black
by Techno-Biscuit
Summary: Lucius must choose a bride or risk having his future dictated by his father, and who better than Narcissa Black? Set during their sixth year at Hogwarts, Lucius soon discovers that wooing Narcissa is not as easy as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Characters owned by JK Rowling.

**A Portrait of Miss Black**

**Chapter One**

The grounds of Malfoy Manor were beautiful at this time of year. They were flooded with the bright colours of his mother's flowers - snapdragons, carnations, lilies, and roses, his mother's favourite. That was why morning tea was being taken outside today. It was also to celebrate his OWL results, in which he'd done exceedingly well.

His mother raised her teacup to him in salute. "Congratulations. Your father and I are very proud of you. Have you considered what subjects you will be taking next year?"

"Yes, mother. I'm going to take History of Magic, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and, of course, Defence against the Dark Arts."

His mother smiled serenely. "Those are good choices. Your father will be proud."

Said father was not at home for his results to arrive. It didn't matter much; he was used to it being just him and mother during school holidays. He knew that sometime soon he would be called to discuss his future, though. His father would want to know what he was planning on doing with his life.

Lucius leaned forwards and took a scone off the table. As he chewed it he looked across the grounds, pensive. He was going to be in his sixth year in September. He wasn't worried about the work as he'd always found schoolwork fairly easy. He was more worried about his future. As a sixth year, his father would expect him to choose his future wife.

It was deemed proper for him to start seriously courting one girl by his sixth year. Even his mother had started hinting at him to invite a 'nice young lady' to the Manor. He couldn't stall much longer; his father would allow him the summer to pick. If he didn't, or if his choice was inadequate, his father would arrange a marriage for him.

He had full confidence that his father would choose someone acceptable, but he would rather choose his own bride. The question was who. Lucius rather suspected that his father would choose one of the daughters of Cecil Rosier, which was fine except that the youngest had left school six years ago, and was a i _Gryffindor /i ._ Call him prejudiced but marrying a Gryffindor would be like marrying a Peruvian Vipertooth. No, Lucius would rather have someone who he knew, at least by face, which meant that it would have to be a girl from school.

There was Ovid Parkinson's daughter of course. She was pretty enough but as stupid as a flobberworm. She had been convinced by a first year that her sixth year Charms lesson was cancelled and so she had spent it in the common room. Needless to say, Professor Flitwick had not been amused. And who in the name of Merlin calls their daughter Harmony anyway? Harmony Malfoy? His father would have a fit.

Then there was Catherine Borgin. He got on very well with her; they had dated a few times in the past. However, he knew she wasn't chaste. Marrying her would be easy as he knew they got on. She wasn't from a very rich family but she was clever and pretty and more than capable with a wand. It was a shame her great-grandfather had squandered most of the family money on Firewhisky and trinkets they couldn't afford. The gambling and women didn't help much either, but one didn't talk openly about that sort of thing. The official reason for their plummet in society had been 'bad investments'. However, their store on Knockturn Alley was now turning incredible profits. Still, he was sure that his father would not allow him to marry her, despite their past fornications. The fact that her great-grandfather had caused so much scandal last century was enough for him to reject her.

Paula Stewart, a pureblooded Ravenclaw in the year above him, had the grades, the social status and the money but Lucius had no desire for her whatsoever. She wasn't unattractive, but she wasn't spectacular, either. Lucius wanted the best, and he'd get it.

The Black family had two eligible women (three if he was in the mood to steal the eldest, Bellatrix, from her fiancé, Rodolphus Lestrange, which he wasn't). Andromeda Black was attractive with long light brown hair; the family was well established and had money. There was the slight problem that he couldn't i _stand /i _her. He hadn't spoken to her much, but the mere fact that she had Mudblood friends was enough to put him off. She had been a running joke in Slytherin for years. Lucius didn't even want to think about what a nightmare their wedding would be.

But the last Black sister, Narcissa … she was perfect. He knew for a fact that she was intelligent, having been in most of her classes last year. While intelligence wasn't a terribly important factor in a future wife - after all, she wouldn't need to work for a living – he did need a wife who could hold a conversation. It would be embarrassing to have a wife who couldn't even do the simplest of spells. He knew he wouldn't have to continually watch over Narcissa at parties. She was also amazingly beautiful, with flawless smooth skin, long blonde hair, and large blue eyes. She was exactly what he desired.

The only problem was that she had been entirely unimpressed with him over the years. He had been out with dozens of girls, most of the Slytherin girls, the ones he deemed attractive enough, but never her. He had never asked her, because he knew she would turn him down. She turned everyone down, which only made her more desirable in his eyes. She was unspoilt, untouched by anyone.

He had made his choice. Narcissa Black would be his wife.

"Son, you need to decide on your future," Abraxas Malfoy said. He leaned forwards over his desk to survey his son who sat in the high backed chair opposite him. Lucius stared back calmly.

He had trained his son well. His back was straight, his face a blank mask. Yes, Lucius had learnt well. "Lucius, what do you intend to do with your life after Hogwarts?"

"Well, father," Lucius started. "I hope to work within the Ministry, most likely in the Political Bureau." Here he smirked. "I'm sure I could do much to benefit the Wizarding world from there."

His father didn't smile back. His father never smiled. "That is an acceptable choice, Lucius. I'm sure you will fit in well there." Abraxas leaned forwards over the desk. "What about your future wife?"

His father never beat about the bush when it came to Lucius, or his wife for that matter. "I have given it much thought and have decided on Narcissa Black … with your approval, of course," he added hurriedly.

His father paused for a moment, considering. "Why?"

The question threw Lucius. He never expected to have to explain his reasoning. "She is the most attractive girl in my year and shares our views on purebloods and Mudbloods. She is intelligent, witty, and has been trained well by her mother in the etiquette of a proper lady." His father continued to watch him. "And she has never been touched by a man, indicating that she is pure not only in blood."

"Of course, you don't know that for sure," his father interjected. Lucius felt a small stab of worry. He masked it well, but it was there all the same. If his father decided to reject his idea then he would arrange one for him. He respected his father and knew he would make good choices for him, but not being trusted to make his own was insulting. Having his life dictated entirely by his father didn't appeal to Lucius.

After a long pause, his father continued. "Your idea is acceptable. The Blacks are a fine family, despite one or two unfortunate members…." There was a frown on his face as he said this. Neither of them needed to clarify who Abraxas was talking about. Marrying into the Weasley's had ensured no more society invitations for Cedrella Black. "I'm sure Miss Black will be delighted to be invited to join our family," his father added.

Lucius looked down and said nothing. He barely spoke to Narcissa, and while he was fairly confident that she wouldn't pass up a chance to be joined to the Malfoy family, he couldn't be absolutely sure. If she refused to even give him a chance, his father would be extremely displeased.

"We have been invited to the marriage of Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus Lestrange. In a month's time, you can begin your wooing of the youngest Black." He nodded once to Lucius, indicating that their conversation was over. Lucius stood, bowed slightly and left.

He went straight to his room and pulled a desk drawer open. He took out his best writing paper, a quill and Slytherin green ink. He had to write to Narcissa before he met her. If she appeared less than pleased to see him in a month's time, his father would be disappointed in him. That was the one thing Lucius didn't want.

_i Dear Narcissa/i _he wrote, then paused. How was he supposed to write this? Somehow he didn't think telling her that she wasn't his first choice would go very well, nor would telling her that he had to pick a girl or have his marriage arranged. He had never had a woman reject him when he was open and honest, and by that he meant lying and pretending to be in love with them. Women were fools when it came to a love story; he had yet to meet one who wasn't.

_I hope your holidays are going well and that your OWL results were good. I expect that you did spectacularly. Your quick mind has always been one of the things that has fascinated me about you._

Lucius shook his head irritably at the sickly sweetness of it all. He had never had to pretend like this with other girls - a simple look and they were his. With Narcissa, he would have to work much harder.

_I must say that I have been enraptured by you for some time. All through the exams I was constantly on edge, thinking of ways to impress you._

Lucius immediately erased those lines out. She would never believe him. He needed to meet her; then perhaps he could make her see the sense in their match.

_I have to confess, I would very much like to get to know you better. Perhaps we could meet in Diagon Alley sometime this week? Thursday? We could go to the new restaurant, Le Jardin de Laurier, for lunch. _

_I eagerly await your owl._

_Lucius Malfoy._

Content that his letter was enough to peak her interest but also flattered her enough to warm her to him he sealed it with wax and stamped the Malfoy crest onto it. He leaned out of his window and whistled. His owl, Orion, soared towards him.

"Take this to Narcissa Black," he instructed softly. Orion hooted, and then took off into the sky. He watched it fly away until it faded into the horizon.

Narcissa calmly folded the piece of parchment and placed it onto the table. She reached for her glass of pumpkin juice and took a sip from it. She was well aware that her family was watching her eagerly, wondering who the mysterious letter could be from. None of them had recognised the stately owl that delivered it.

It was Bellatrix who cracked first, just like she had expected. "Who was the letter from, Cissy?"

"Lucius Malfoy," she replied evenly. The look on her sister's face was priceless.

"Lucius Malfoy?" she sputtered. "Why would he be writing to you?"

"I don't like him," her other sister, Andromeda, added. "He's spiteful to anyone he thinks is below him and he's a bully. Do you know what he said to Constance at Christmas?"

"Called her a 'filthy Mudblood', as likely as not," Bellatrix said in a bored tone. Andromeda frowned at her. "What did I say?" she asked, baffled.

"What does the Malfoy boy want with you?" her father asked. He had tried to feign interest in the conversation, but felt that they were getting rather off topic.

"He asked me to meet him Diagon Alley on Thursday; he wants to take me to lunch at Le Jardin de Laurier." Her father's eyebrows rose. Even Bellatrix seemed suitably impressed. Le Jardin de Laurier was a very expensive restaurant, known for its exclusiveness.

"You're not going to go, are you?" Andromeda asked, scandalised. "He's a horrible boy! You've seen how he treats people. How can you even consider-"

"Andromeda, dear, please be quiet," said their mother, frowning. "I'm sure that young Mister Malfoy is a fine gentleman. I hope you won't turn down his invitation?"

"Of course not, Mother. If you'll excuse me, I'll reply to him at once." Her mother nodded and she rose gracefully from the table.

She had barely reached her room when she heard Bellatrix behind her. "Cissy," she called. "Are you going to meet up with him?"

Narcissa paused as she opened her door. "Perhaps. To see what he wants at least." They walked into Narcissa's room and Narcissa sat at her desk. Bellatrix reached over and pulled the letter from her hand, reading through it quickly.

Narcissa took out a quill and ink, thinking of what to say.

"Isn't it obvious what he wants?" Bellatrix asked. "He wants to court you."

"Bellatrix, don't take me for an idiot. I did get more OWLs than you." Her sister scowled. Narcissa tapped her finger against her cheek thoughtfully. "I want to know why. After all, he hasn't shown any interest before now."

"Well what do you expect when you turn down every date offered to you? Malfoy's hate to be refused, it's a family trait. He wouldn't ask you because he knew you'd say no."

"Maybe," she conceded. "Or perhaps, I would have said yes. Perhaps I only said no to everyone else because I was waiting for him." Bellatrix's eyes widened and Narcissa smiled. "I knew that when the time came for him to choose a wife, which is apparently now, I would need to be untouched. It would sway his mind in my favour. Men are so predictable."

Bellatrix's mouth fell open. She wasn't capable of speech. Narcissa reached out and pushed it closed with one finger. "Please, Bella dear, that is so unladylike."

"You can't be serious. There's no way you had all of this planned out. I don't care how many OWLs you got Cissy, you can't have had this secret plan all along." Narcissa raised one perfectly sculpted brow. "No … really?"

Narcissa nodded. "It was quite simple really. I knew I had to marry the most eligible bachelor there was, and who better than Malfoy? The name has credibility; he is one of the richest wizards around and quite handsome too. He's the perfect choice. I just had to think of a way to guarantee that he would want me."

"What did you do?" Bellatrix asked, awed.

"I ignored him. He had tons of girls falling over him, I didn't want to be another one of the girls used and then tossed away. I became elusive to him, and I daresay I frustrated him. But I couldn't go for the overused plan of making him jealous by dating loads of other boys. Then he would simply write me off. By keeping myself unattainable to everyone I have become the prize catch as it were," Narcissa said.

"So what are you going to do now? Are you going to go out with him?"

Narcissa laughed lightly. "Of course not, silly darling. I have to let do the wooing scene whilst I keep my distance. If I were to act too keen too soon, he would treat me like every other woman in his life. An unimportant extra and I don't want that. I will make him treat me as an equal. He will think he has a power over me, but he won't."

Bellatrix's lips twisted into a smile. "Your plan is pure genius, Cissy. I must say, I am awed."

Narcissa smiled back at her sister. "Well Bella darling, I am a Slytherin, after all."

Lucius wasn't surprised when an owl swooped down onto the breakfast table the next morning. He allowed himself a moment of silent thrill before he opened the letter. After all, she had done exactly what he had expected her to do. She had replied, despite the fact that she and him had barely spoken. She was curious, if nothing else. For the moment, at least.

_Dear Lucius,_

_I was rather surprised to receive your letter. I wasn't aware that you even knew my name, seeing as how we have barely said two words to each other over the years. However, I can see from your letter that you plan to rectify that, which, I believe, is an excellent idea. I would be delighted to meet with you for lunch. I'm sure it will be an interesting experience for us both._

_Would twelve o'clock be suitable for you?_

_Narcissa Black. _

Lucius sat back in his chair, well aware that his mother was watching him intently. It was only a matter of time before she …

"Lucius, who is the letter from?"

Yes, there it was, right on time.

"It's a letter from Walden, mother. He wants to meet me in Diagon Alley on Thursday," he replied without missing a beat. Lying was so easy, especially to his mother. She didn't even know about his father's Dark Arts collection, let alone her son's interest in the trinkets hidden behind the secret door in Abraxus' study.

"Walden Macnair?" his mother questioned. "I haven't seen him since he was practically a baby. I wonder how his mother is. I suppose I'll see her at the Black Lestrange Wedding won't I? Those families have been friends for generations."

Lucius allowed his mother's voice to drown out while he relished his first victory in seducing the rare flower that was Narcissa Black.

Author's Note: Beta'ed by Ladyrhian at Ashwinder.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Characters/world belong to JKR.

**Chapter Two**

Lucius arrived at the restaurant ten minutes before they were due to meet. He had only done so because he knew that Narcissa would not be late; she was never late to anything. Even when her friends were hanging back, she was punctual. Catherine had told him that Narcissa despised being late for anything. According to Narcissa, she didn't need to be late to make an entrance. When she arrived he had to admit she was right.

She looked stunning. Her long hair, as always, was swept up. She had beautiful light green dress robes on. She looked perfect. He knew that he had made the right choice.

"Narcissa, you look exquisite," Lucius purred softly into her ear. It was a move that he knew sent girls weak at the knees. He was disappointed when it had no obvious effect on Narcissa. This was going to be harder than he thought, but he wasn't one to back away from a challenge.

"Lucius, it's a pleasure to see you," she replied, though there was no warmth in her voice. She was as dismissive of him as ever. It was maddening.

He lifted her hand and kissed it. "No my dear, the pleasure is all mine." He stepped behind her and pulled out her chair. He wasn't surprised to see her sit down gracefully. Narcissa had been raised very well, after all.

"Thank you," she replied. She waited as he moved to the other side of the small table and sat down opposite her. "How have your holidays been so far?" she asked when he had settled.

"Acceptable," he replied. "However, I found myself thinking about a certain person far more than could be healthy. It was rather surprising, to say the least."

"Is that so?" she questioned. "I'm sure Harmony Parkinson will be delighted to hear that you think of her so often."

"What?" he asked in disbelief. He shook his head violently, clearly annoyed that his sweet words weren't having the intended effect. Narcissa bit back a smile at his discomfort. "No, not Harmony Parkinson. I was talking about you."

She feigned shock and raised her hand to her mouth. "Really, Lucius? I must say I'm surprised. I thought from your letter you were interested in developing a friendship. If I had any idea that you had romantic notions on your mind I would not have accepted your invitation."

He frowned. This meeting was _not _going to plan. "And why not, may I ask?"

"Oh Lucius, surely you know that I do not date. I only wish to go out with someone who is serious about me, not merely acquiring his latest toy. I'm afraid, Lucius, that I have no desire to be your latest conquest."

He forced his indignation down. Getting angry at her would not help his case. He had to try a new tactic, convince her of his sincerity. "Narcissa," he said softly. "I admit that I have had … indiscretions in the past. But now I want to put that behind me and start afresh. I would never dream of treating you as I did other girls because – and this is the truth – you are far better than any of them."

Narcissa remained silent for a while. He wondered if she had bought his words or if she had heard them as nothing but lies. To be fair, while they had started out as lies, now he wasn't so sure if he hadn't actually told the truth anyway. After all, if he was to start seriously dating Narcissa he would not be able to see anyone but her, and it was true she was the best to be had.

As for Narcissa, she was wondering how long before he became uneasy. She was sure he could last far longer than Bellatrix, but a two year old could hold out longer than her eldest sister. It would be interesting to test how far she could push him. Narcissa could see already that he was getting anxious. She suspected that he had rather a lot riding on this meeting. If she rejected him it would be great blow to his pride. For a moment she was tempted to do so but she resisted. She had far more important plans that she would not mess up for a moment of childish pleasure. That was how she had reasoned with herself when Augustus Rookwood had asked her to join him in one of the empty classrooms 'for some fun'.

"Is something amusing you, Narcissa?" Lucius asked. Her eyes widened slightly. Had she lost control of herself and actually smiled without meaning to? That was not supposed to happen. She had to remain in control.

"Oh, it's nothing that concerns you Lucius," Narcissa replied airily. "I was merely thinking of something Augustus said to me last year."

Immediately she knew that was the wrong thing to say. Lucius' eyes glinted with a cold anger as he thought of his friend's betrayal. Narcissa found herself strangely excited by his reaction. He wouldn't be so…possessive if he felt nothing for her and certainly not for something so long ago.

Lucius almost ground his teeth in frustration. Her soft beautiful smile wasn't for him, but for his _friend _Rookwood. As little as he liked to admit it, he had been rather naïve. He had assumed that because she hadn't dated anyone openly that she had no experience with men at all. He knew what Rookwood was like. He was - well, he was exactly like him, which made it all the worse. He would have to have a quiet word with Augustus soon.

Narcissa toyed uneasily with her napkin; her mother would be horrified if she could see her. She had spent many hours teaching Narcissa proper table etiquette. Fiddling was not allowed.

Truth be told, she was trying to distract herself from Lucius. She realized that her plan was backfiring. She was supposed to be in control, cool, calm and collected. But the longer she spent in his presence, the more she kept _noticing _him; the way he smelt, the way his robes slid against his chest as he breathed or moved his arms. The most important thing she avoided was the way his mouth formed words as he spoke.

It was most distracting, having a conversation with someone who was so annoyingly … attractive. The more she tried to ignore everything about him, the more noticeable he became. She was sure that he noticed her discomfort and was playing things up; after all, no one could look quite so alluring when asking if you'd prefer champagne or wine unless they were doing it on purpose.

Lucius looked across at Narcissa and felt sure that his plan was failing. She looked utterly miserable and seemed to be ignoring everything he was saying. He wasn't really sure what he was saying either, but he had faith that he wasn't making a fool of himself. Not that she'd notice if he did.

For a fleeting moment he considered levelling with her and telling her the whole truth. He quickly dismissed it though; going down that route would bring nothing but more trouble. But what was happening right now wasn't much better. She was ignoring him completely. Lucius didn't like to be ignored.

"So Narcissa, how are you enjoying your meal?"

Narcissa looked up sharply. She had no idea what he had just asked her. She scolded herself for becoming distracted, she couldn't let him know that he was having any effect on her or he wouldn't treat her as an equal. She stalled by taking a bite of her pasta. "It's wonderful." She hoped that he had asked her something about the ambience of the restaurant.

He nodded. "I did wonder if the place would live up to its reputation. It seems it has." He didn't look too enthusiastic. Narcissa was sure she was boring him.

"What are your plans for the rest of the holidays?" she asked quickly. This time she forced herself to remain focused on the conversation.

"Well there's your sister's wedding, of course," he replied. He scanned his mind for a common interest. All this small talk was rather tedious. He'd never had so much trouble communicating with a woman before, but, then again, usually there wasn't a lot of communication involved. "And I was thinking of researching into Animagi in the Library at the Manor."

As soon as he saw her eyes light up he knew he had said the right thing. "Oh, Animagi are fascinating," she enthused. "It's so hard to become one, so much research and failed attempts. Apparently it took Morgana seven years to become an Animagus. I've often wondered if I'd be able to do it and what type of animal I'd be…. They reveal so much about you, you know, your Animagus forms."

"I'm sure you'd be a deer, they are sleek, graceful and beautiful, like you." He was rewarded by this comment with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Please, I'm sure you say that to all your girls," she replied. He felt uncomfortable after that. He'd never given a girl a compliment and meant it before. However, his discomfort was soon forgotten as Narcissa began telling him the things about Transfiguration that fascinated her. There were quite a lot, but instead of becoming bored as he had expected, he found himself strangely interested in all she had to say.

Before, when he had dated girls, conversation and niceties had merely been something endured so that he could get what he wanted. With Narcissa, he found her company to be enjoyable. Lucius felt fortified in his decision to have Narcissa as his wife.

The rest of the meal passed without any more incidents, for which Narcissa was immensely glad. She was supposed to be impressing Lucius and her lack of decorum was deterring her. She actually found that after a time she relaxed and grew to enjoy the conversation. It seemed they always had something to talk about. They went from Animagi to Transfiguration, from Potions to their childhoods, and eventually ended up talking about politics.

"That may be so, but I guarantee that Greenfield will never become Minister. He is simply too flighty. He starts his projects well, but he never finishes them on time or to budget. That is not a good trait for a Minister to have," Narcissa argued.

"Perhaps not, but you can't deny that the man's popular. He never fails to make the crowd laugh and cheer at his campaigns."

"Popularity is not the only thing needed to win elections, Lucius. He has to have sustenance like Raymore does."

"He's old though; he's already served three terms. It's time for some new blood," Lucius said.

"Oh really? I thought you were the type who valued old blood," Narcissa said evenly.

Catching her meaning, Lucius paused. "I do not think it is how old the blood is, but, rather, the credentials behind it. You see so many old families who are as weak blooded as a Flobberworm."

Narcissa nodded. "You do realise, though, that Greenfield is…weak blooded."

"I know," Lucius replied. "I never said that _I _wanted him to be Minister, only that I believed he would win the election."

"Would you care to put a wager on that?" Narcissa asked casually.

Lucius was intrigued. She had some plan, he could tell. Her eyes were just a little too bright for it to be a passing comment. "What are the terms?"

"Well, the election is a week before my sister's wedding. So, if Raymore wins the election, you must wear dress robes in Gryffindor red."

Lucius was impressed. She seemed to know him quite well; it was one of the worst things imaginable for him. "I accept your terms," he replied. He knew he'd win. There was no way Raymore would get another term. There had been calls for his retirement a year ago after reports of his ill health. Greenfield couldn't lose. "If I win then you have to have dinner with me again."

There was a long pause while she considered the matter. Slowly she smiled. "You have a deal."

Lucius wasn't surprised to find that Augustus was already very drunk by the time he arrived. Walden sat next to him, attempting to guide him to one of the tables at the back of the Hogs Head. Lucius hated the Hogs Head, but his two friends loved it, primarily because it was one of the only places that would sell them alcohol.

"Lucius," Augustus slurred. "You made it! Walden and I were getting worried that you wouldn't turn up."

Lucius sat down at the table and poured himself a shot of Firewhisky from the bottle. "Miracles do happen," he said dryly. "I'd ask how you've been but I'm sure I wouldn't get a coherent answer. Walden, how are you?"

"All the better now you're here; you can help keep Augustus conscious," replied his friend. "I'm rather surprised you came, to be honest. I thought this place was beneath you."

"It is, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Augustus started laughing and slipped off his chair. Lucius and Walden looked at him in surprise. Eventually Augustus pulled himself together enough to clamber back into a sitting position, and even then he was still chuckling to himself. "Oh Lucius," he chortled. "You've hit the kneazle on the head there. _You _certainly will be in for some desperate times if you're intent on wooing Narcissa Black."

"Be quiet Augustus," Lucius hissed. He scanned the empty pub to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation. He wasn't sure if he wanted everyone knowing his business yet.

"If you wanted it to be a secret you should have picked a more private location than Jardin de Laurier," Walden said after seeing his darting looks. "You can't say one word to a girl without the owner telling everyone you're married."

"Ah, yes," Lucius said. "I forgot that Madame Corbeau was such a gossip, although I did tell her to be discreet."

"And she was," Augustus suddenly said. "She didn't take out a column in the Daily Prophet, did she?"

Lucius smiled wryly. "No. I suppose she didn't." There was a lull in the conversation as Lucius considered the effect of the rumours on his relationship with Narcissa.

Augustus downed more Firewhisky and then promptly collapsed on the table. Walden rolled his eyes. "You can't take him anywhere," he said, shaking his head. He suddenly looked up at Lucius again. "So, what is going on with you and Narcissa? Is this just another conquest?"

"In a way…" Lucius said pensively. "My father," he said, unable to keep all traces of disdain from his voice, "has decided that it's time for me to settle down; unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected. I demand the best, and what better prize than Narcissa Black?"

Walden nodded in understanding. "Unfortunately for you, you are not the only one to think so." Lucius' eyes hardened in anger at his friend. "No, not me or our dear friend Augustus, but a Ravenclaw called Andrew Boot."

Lucius scowled. He didn't need these complications. He knew Boot; he was a seventh year Ravenclaw, tall, dark, and handsome. Lucius knew that he had a plethora of girls falling over him, and that he was the top contender for the coveted Head Boy position this year. He also knew that he was uncommonly _nice _to everyone which made him an even bigger threat. He and Lucius were polar opposites of each other. Lucius knew he'd have to keep and eye on Boot.

He looked back at Walden, who was staring at him with amusement in his eyes. Lucius scowled; he didn't like being laughed at. Anyone else wouldn't have gotten away with it.

Walden spoke up again. "And he's not even your biggest threat. It turns out that she has caught the eye of Sebastian Merteuil. His father is an old business associate of her father; he seems keen to push those two together.

Lucius cursed loudly, causing a couple of the patrons of the pub to look over at him. He didn't notice. He was too busy thinking about the inconvenience of these additional complications. If Black decided that Narcissa should marry Merteuil there would be little he could do about it.

The Merteuils were an old French family, much like the Malfoy family, although they had remained in France instead of crossing over to England. They weren't as rich or as highly regarded as the Malfoys but Sebastian was still a sizeable threat. Lucius' only hope was to win her father's approval and hope that Narcissa liked him more than the other two. Planning would be required.

He turned back to Walden, who had leaned forwards expectantly. "I'll need your help."

"Of course Lucius," he replied. "When Augustus sobers up, I'll see if I can recruit him to help too."

Lucius nodded. "The Black-Lestrange wedding is a week away. That gives us plenty of time to plan."

"The Blacks are visiting the estate tomorrow," Walden said casually. "Perhaps I can test the waters with her father, as it were. Casually drop your name into the conversation and see how he reacts?"

Lucius nodded at him. "That would be most helpful. Perhaps you could even sway Narcissa into thinking that I am the best choice."

A/N: Thank you everyone for taking the time to review.

Beta'ed by LadyRhian at Sycophant Hex.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

Narcissa smoothed her blue dress robes and checked her reflection one last time.

"Darling, you look beautiful," the mirror complimented. Narcissa tilted her head in satisfaction. She should hope she looked beautiful; she had put a lot of effort into it.

They were going to the Macnair Estate today. Narcissa was no fool; she knew that she had to impress Walden at this meeting. He was, after all, a close friend of Lucius. It wouldn't hurt to have him on her side. She had to tread carefully though: Walden might not be the smartest in Slytherin House, but he was certainly one of the most cunning. If he even suspected her of trying anything he would make damn sure Lucius found out. That was why he was such a close friend of Lucius' – he would rather have a person like that _on_ his side than against him.

Slytherin politics. They were so tiring and confusing at times, but how she loved the thrill of the game.

She descended the stairs to wait with Andromeda for Bellatrix, who always ran late. It irritated her immensely, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She looked over at her sister, who looked quite charming in peach robes. Despite her beauty, her face showed nothing but despair.

Narcissa had never been particularly close to Andromeda, preferring Bellatrix's unpredictability to Andromeda's righteousness. Andromeda's _fondness_ for the unworthy had driven a wedge between her and her sister; however, seeing her as she was now, Narcissa couldn't help but be concerned.

Narcissa reached out and touched her sister's arm. "Andromeda, dear, are you quite alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied quietly. "Don't worry about me."

"What's wrong," Narcissa persisted. "It can't be your NEWTS; you did quite well in them. Are you ill?"

"No, no it's nothing like that." She sighed. "Don't worry about me, Narcissa, I'll be fine."

Narcissa stepped closer to her sister. "Andromeda, tell me what's wrong."

"I…I can't Narcissa. I don't want to lose you…"

"Lose me?" Narcissa exclaimed. "Why would you lose me? We're sisters!" She clasped their hands together. "The same blood runs through our veins; that is more important than any problem you might have."

Her sister's face brightened slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Narcissa confirmed. "You can tell me later, now isn't the time. Don't worry, everything will sort itself out."

She stepped away from her sister as their parents and Bellatrix arrived. Bellatrix was wearing tight, wine coloured robes today, giving her the appearance of being dipped in blood. It made Narcissa feel slightly nauseous.

They travelled to the Macnair Estate by magical coach, as it wasn't far away; only about three miles. The two families had been friends for generations because of this – and because both had the same views on blood purity.

As the coach pulled up outside the familiar mansion Narcissa snuck a look at her sister. While the whole family had been rather quiet on the journey up, Andromeda's silence had been more pronounced, almost deafening. Narcissa had never seen her sister so depressed. Normally she didn't hesitate to give her opinion on anything and everything. Now all she seemed to do was sigh quietly and stare out if the carriage window.

Narcissa had no idea what to say to her. She knew something was terribly wrong with her sister, she just didn't know what. She sighed, hoping that when the time came she would know what to do.

She was disturbed from her thoughts by a familiar hand on her elbow. "Let me help you out." Narcissa smiled thankfully at Walden but kept her head ducked down, lest he see her discomfort before it was smoothed away.

"Walden," she said with forced brightness once she was safely on the ground. "As always, it's a pleasure to see you." She moved to kiss him on the cheek.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied.

Narcissa turned to check on her sister and saw that Walden's elder brother, Stewart, was helping her from the carriage.

"Andromeda, you look stunning," she heard him say. "Those robes are quite beautiful on you."

Narcissa frowned slightly, sensing some change between the two of them. Stewart was always charming to her and her sisters, but now it seemed as if he were – dare she say it - pursuing her sister. It was the look in his eyes: normally he passed over them all, uninterested, but now his gaze swept over her sister's body appraisingly. Narcissa didn't like it anymore than she would have had he been doing it to her.

A quick look at her parents and Walden confirmed her suspicions. Had her parents arranged for them to marry? It was very uncommon for arranged marriages to take place in this age, but most Pureblood families had been known to give their children a 'nudge' in the right direction. The Blacks and Macnairs had been strong allies for generations and a match had long been expected. She was surprised that it was with Andromeda and not herself or Bellatrix.

It wasn't that she thought Andromeda less attractive, or less of a 'catch' than herself; it was just that her beliefs were less suited to Stewart's than Bellatrix's or her own. It was well known in all social circles that Andromeda did not share Salazar Slytherin's views on Muggles and pureblood superiority. While this certainly alienated her from many pureblood families, her own family had not abandoned her. However, this was only on the unspoken agreement that she could never be more than a friend with a mudblood and that she would marry into a respectable pureblood family.

Narcissa briefly wondered if it was Stewart who had troubled her sister, but quickly banished the thought. It didn't make sense. She pushed her worry down; if she appeared anxious now she could cause more trouble for her sister.

Everything was pleasant and normal. Conversation was light and untroubled as they had drinks in the lounge. It turned to politics during the starter and continued through the main course. No mention was made of the fact that Stewart and her sister were sitting far closer together than was customary. And if anyone noticed Stewart whispering in Andromeda's ear, they made no mention of it.

Narcissa was sitting next to Walden, and a quick look out of the corner of her eye showed that he seemed mildly amused at his brother's clumsy attempts to seduce her sister. Andromeda looked mortified and slightly disgusted by the whole situation.

Narcissa couldn't blame her. Although Walden was six years younger, he was far more attractive than Stewart could ever hope to be. Walden had caught the attention of many girls at school with his rugged good looks and towering strength. His brother, however, had certainly not been the star of any girls' fantasies.

Narcissa turned away, unwilling to watch any more of Stewart's ridiculous display. Walden, noticing her look, leaned towards her and said quietly, "One would think that you are not thrilled to see your sister being courted by an eligible pureblood like my brother. Or did you hope that he was enraptured by you?"

"Don't be silly, Walden," Narcissa whispered sharply. "You know as well as I that Andromeda is being forced into this. He doesn't deserve her."

Walden frowned. "I think you're allowing your love for your sister to cloud your judgement. She isn't the quite catch that you or Bellatrix are." He put a hand up to stop her before she could interrupt. "Narcissa, she is practically a blood traitor, maybe not _officially,_ but you know how it is in our society. Your parents had to _beg_ mine to match Stewart and Andromeda together. No other family with our views would go near her, and your parents would rather die than have her marry into a family like the Weasleys."

Narcissa nodded. He was right, of course. That didn't mean she had to like it. "But then again," she replied coldly, "it's not like there's a league of girls clamouring for your brother's arm either."

Walden chuckled. "I daresay you're right." He lowered his voice so she had to lean closer to hear him. "Mother and father began to worry that he wasn't interested in girls that way."

"No, really?" Narcissa asked sarcastically. Walden just shrugged.

After the meal ended, the adults retired to the lounge for drinks. Her mother, Druella, sent her a pointed glance, telling her to leave Stewart and her sister alone.

Narcissa would have liked to go for walk around the grounds; they were exceptionally lovely on cool summer evenings. But she was reluctant to go alone and Bella and Walden had already followed the adults out of the room. With a sigh she followed them.

Narcissa sat on a silk-covered sofa next to her father and sat by as he and Walden discussed school, oblivious to her presence as if she hadn't attended the school at all.

"Your last year at Hogwarts this year, Walden," Cygnus Black said. "What are your plans after you leave?"

"I have no definite plans yet, but I'd love to work with magical creatures," Walden replied.

Narcissa was surprised by this. She had expected him to say that he wanted to work in the Ministry. That was usually the answer everyone gave. Perhaps he had actually given his future some thought.

"I'll have to introduce you to Laurence Merteuil, he is a good friend of mine and breeding magical creatures is something of a hobby for him," her father replied. "He'll be at the wedding, of course, along with his son Sebastian. You do remember Sebastian, don't you Narcissa?"

"Yes father," Narcissa replied, smirking. "He used to chase me and pull my hair when we were younger."

Her father chuckled. "I remember. But I'm sure he's out of that habit now. He'll be coming up for twenty this October."

Narcissa nodded absently, not particularly caring to hear about Sebastian. She thought he had been rather rude when she had last seen him. He was constantly finding ways to touch her, often inappropriately. She had only put up with it because his father and hers were such good friends. She loved her father dearly, but knew that she wouldn't be able to be more than polite to Sebastian, and most times it was hard to do that much.

Narcissa sighed and turned back to her father. He and Walden were already deep in conversation about the upcoming election. Narcissa had heard nothing but politics all night; it was wearing on her nerves. However, the other women were discussing Bellatrix's wedding, or, to be more precise, the seating plan. Narcissa was equally tired of hearing about her sister's wedding, having heard nothing else for months.

It wasn't that she was jealous of her sister; it was simply that there had been so many arguments about the wedding between her mother and sister that she just wanted it all to be over with. It had started out innocent enough, with her mother suggesting that Bella wear the antique pearl necklace that she had worn on her wedding day. Bellatrix had refused, saying that she wanted a modern wedding, something outrageous. Well, that would certainly match Bella's personality. Her mother had been horrified when Bella had said her wedding robes would be crimson, with the bridesmaids wearing bright purple. Even the seamstress had been disgusted.

From then on, everything her sister had suggested, her mother had rejected. There had been a five day stand-off between the two because Bella had wanted peacock feathers in with her bouquet. Eventually they had reached a compromise, but the hassle that went with it had nearly driven Narcissa up the wall.

Narcissa had almost wished that she were as secluded from the family as her sister Andromeda was. While Narcissa was often called upon to take a side, Andromeda was kept out of it. It hadn't been until then that she had realised how little Andromeda was involved with the family. While she and Bella would spend hours in each other's rooms, talking late into the night, Andromeda was never included.

Perhaps she was when they were much younger, for Narcissa could vividly remember her and her sisters jumping on Andromeda's bed while their house elf ran around the bed begging them to get down. They didn't pay it any attention of course. Narcissa could only have been four or five at the time, but she couldn't remember ever spending any great amount of time with Andromeda after that. It startled her that she knew very little about her sister, not even what was troubling her so. She resolved to spend more time with Andromeda this summer, and hopefully help her with her problem.

The sudden mention of Lucius Malfoy startled her from her thoughts. She turned to Walden sharply. "Yes, Lucius knows more about magical history than anyone I know. That's why he wants to go into politics, so he can stop past mistakes being made again," Walden said.

"I haven't met him, though I do know his father Abraxas. He was several years above me at Hogwarts. He was a rather interesting character."

"Abraxas Malfoy?" Mrs Macnair suddenly chimed in. "I remember him. I must say I was rather surprised when he married that Hufflepuff girl, Gwendoline. I didn't think he even knew her name."

"I'm sure he had his reasons," her husband replied. "Last I saw him was at the fundraiser at the Ministry last year."

"Yes, that man works far too hard. It must be quite a strain on his wife, all alone in that large house for so long."

"Well that won't happen to me," Bella suddenly interrupted. "If Rodolphus thinks I'm going to sit around waiting for him all day long, he's mistaken."

Everyone laughed. "He would be a fool if he tried with a temper like yours, Bellatrix," Cygnus said while Druella scowled. She had always thought Bella's temper was unladylike, despite the fact that hers was just as bad. Narcissa was thankful that she had received her father's cool demeanour.

"Narcissa, would you care to take a walk with me along the grounds?"

She turned and nodded gratefully at Walden, needing to get out of the stuffy room. She stood and tucked her hand into his proffered arm. Her mother's eyebrows rose at this, but she said nothing. Narcissa had a feeling her mother would be having a talk with her later.

Once they were safely away from the house they could talk freely. "So, Narcissa, are you looking forward to your sister's wedding?"

"Yes, it should be good. It will be strange afterwards, though, not having Bella around the house anymore."

Walden smiled knowingly. "Yes, I imagine that she's hard to ignore."

The walked through the rose garden and Narcissa reached out to touch the silky petals of one of the flowers. "I'll miss her," she confessed. "I never really thought about what it would be like after she got married." She sighed. "Let's talk about something else, this subject is too depressing."

"Alright," he agreed. "What is it that you hate about Sebastian Merteuil?"

"What do you mean? I don't hate him."

Walden chuckled. "Please, as soon as his name is mentioned you look as though there's rotting fish nearby."

Narcissa paused before answering. She was pretty sure that whatever she said would go back to Lucius, and while her games were working well to keep him interested, she didn't want to push him away too much. Besides, if she lied then Walden would probably find out anyway and she'd look like a fool.

"I don't particularly like him. He is egotistical and can't keep his hands to himself, but father is good friends with his family so I have to act nice," she replied shortly. "No matter how much I want to hex him."

Lucius leant back in his desk chair and allowed himself a few moments to relish in his victory. Lying on the desk was a letter from Walden. Lucius picked it up and reread it for the fifteenth time. He had nothing to worry about with Merteuil anymore; Walden had made it clear that Narcissa couldn't stand him and her father wouldn't force his daughter into anything.

What did worry him were Walden's comments about Mertueil's 'busy hands'. If he so much as _thought_ about touching Narcissa inappropriately he would break his neck. He vowed to keep an eye on him at the wedding and had asked Walden to do the same.

Next to the letter was a copy of the Daily Prophet announcing Greenfield as the new Minister of Magic. It was a landslide victory, with Greenfield winning over 85 of the votes against Raymore. He was looking forward to collect his winnings from Narcissa Black.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Characters/world belong to JKR.

Beta'ed by TB4me2000 at Sycophant Hex.

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**Chapter Four**

"Oh, what beautiful flowers," Gwendoline Malfoy said pleasantly.

Just as she stopped to smell one of the buds, her husband yanked her arm abruptly, forcing her to abandon her quest and follow along obediently. With a smile fixed firmly on her face, she gazed about the Lestrange gardens, admiring the plants from a distance.

Lucius followed his parents to the rows of seats erected across the lawn for the wedding. He nodded at a few people he knew from school who were already seated, not noticing his father doing the same to his associates.

Augustus sat with his family towards the back, while the Macnairs were in the second row. Although the Malfoy family had no direct ties with the Blacks as of yet, they found themselves seated next the Macnairs. While this _could_ be a nod to his family's wealth, Lucius rather suspected that Narcissa had a hand in it. It appeared as though he had won their bet after all.

It took nearly thirty minutes for all the guests to arrive and be seated, and Lucius could tell that the wait was grating on his father's nerves. Abraxas had never liked to wait. Gwendoline, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself. As she chatted with Walden's mother about the cut of her robes, Lucius noted that he hadn't seen her so animated in a long time.

Lucius looked towards the front and saw Rodolphus Lestrange talking quietly with his brother. He knew them from Hogwarts, of course, but had never known either one particularly well, as he was several years younger than the brothers. Rabastan had been a good keeper when he was at Hogwarts, Lucius remembered, but he was overshadowed by Rodolphus, who had been Slytherin's quidditch captain and held the school record for the most consecutive goals scored in a single match.

A sudden hush fell over the crowd, signalling the bride's entrance. Everyone stood and Lucius peered through the crowd, catching a glimpse of Bellatrix. She looked quite lovely, he had to admit, dressed in ivory robes and carrying a bouquet of crimson roses and peacock feathers. Even Andromeda, for once looking the part of the elegant and polished pure-blood, managed to catch his eye for a moment. But both sisters paled in comparison to Narcissa.

He couldn't keep his eyes off her as the trio walked down the aisle. She seemed to float across the grass as she followed her sisters, robes trailing behind her.

He tried to concentrate on the service—honestly he did—but Narcissa proved a constant distraction. He felt like he had barely sat down before the couple's final bonding was performed. Narcissa, however, seemed to have no such problem. While Lucius had stared at her for the entire service, she seemed to notice him only at the very end. As she followed them down the aisle, she caught Lucius' eye and smiled before walking on.

As the rest of the guests began to follow the newlyweds across the grounds and back to the Lestrange manor, Lucius held back, waiting for Walden.

"Wonderful service wasn't it?" Walden asked when he'd caught up to Lucius.

"Oh yes, I can feel my heart bursting with emotion at the sight of it all," Lucius replied dryly.

"And weren't the dresses _gorgeous_? And the flowers," Walden said sarcastically.

Lucius laughed. "Well at least that part's over with. Though now we have to suffer endless conversations retelling the event, as if we weren't watching it ourselves."

Walden shot him a sly look. "From what I saw, you were paying more attention to Narcissa than the service." Lucius frowned, causing Walden to laugh. "You'd better be careful, Lucius, I'm starting to wonder if your infatuation with her holds more truth than you told me."

"Don't be absurd," Lucius scoffed. "Of course it's an act. You know what women are like. They refuse to see things practically."

Walden shook his head and said nothing. The rest of the walk was spent in silence as Lucius pondered what Walden had said.

While it was a good thing that he appeared besotted with Narcissa, he had to keep his head. It wouldn't do for him to become too attached to her. He just needed her so he could please his parents and so she would eventually produce an heir. It was as simple as that. Of course he was attracted to her, her beauty was part of the reason he chose her, but there was no reason to confuse the issue with _real_ feelings, he told himself. And, with a new resolve, Lucius moved to congratulate Bellatrix and Rodolphus.

* * *

After agreeing that it had been a beautiful wedding for what had to have been the fiftieth time, Narcissa stole away from her family to 'powder her nose.' Of course, as soon as she had escaped, she was ambushed by her Hogwarts friends. She should have known that she wouldn't get any time alone. They had been sending her owls all summer, asking about her and Lucius Malfoy. She hadn't deigned to respond to their questions, instead claiming to be extremely busy with plans for the wedding. Now, unfortunately, she had no such excuse. 

"Well?" Elizabeth Fawcett asked.

"Well what?" Narcissa replied as she checked her reflection.

"We want to know all about you and Lucius—tell us everything!" demanded Emily Frost before Elizabeth could continue.

"There's nothing to tell," Narcissa, her voice patently bored. "We had lunch and that's it."

"Oh," Emily said, disappointed.

Elizabeth, however, regarded her shrewdly, and Narcissa knew that she wasn't going to let it drop as easily as Emily had.

"I'm surprised you managed to resist him, though," Emily babbled. "He's so handsome. I know when we were dating-"

"That's a bit of a leap, isn't it?" Elizabeth said. "From what I recall, you had one trip to Hogsmeade together last year. That's hardly the romance of the century."

Emily stared at Elizabeth blankly. "The romance of the century? What are you talking about?"

"Never mind, Emily. Stop thinking about it, you'll only hurt yourself," Elizabeth replied. She turned to Narcissa and took on a more forceful tone, "I don't know what you think you're doing, getting involved with him. He's been vile to every girl he's been involved with. Didn't you hear what he said to Katy Bishop? He told her that he's rather kiss a dementor than be seen with her again."

"I _know,_ Elizabeth," Narcissa interjected. "You don't have to tell me what he's like. I've seen first hand the damage he's caused."

"Then why are you allowing him to court you? Why have anything to do with him at all?"

"Maybe he's changed," Narcissa replied simply. "Did you ever consider that?"

"Lucius Malfoy change his attitude? That's _hardly_ likely," Elizabeth said. "I think you're being incredibly stupid, Narcissa."

"Well, I didn't ask for your opinion or your approval, so what you say is irrelevant," Narcissa responded coolly. "Now, _if_ you don't mind, I'm going to go talk to my sister. Excuse me."

Before Elizabeth could open her mouth to contest her response, Narcissa turned and strode through the bathroom door, letting it close heavily behind her. She purposefully navigated through the halls, her face showing none of the irritation she was feeling. She had expected as much from Elizabeth, who always had an opinion of everything, and had the brains to back them up, unlike Emily who had been lucky to pass her first year, let alone her OWLs. Recently, however, Elizabeth's holier-than-thou attitude had been too much. She seemed to think that just because she was _possibly_ the smartest witch in their year that everyone should do as she said, and Narcissa didn't appreciate being told what to do, particularly by one of her friends.

She slipped back into the ballroom and stood on the periphery. Gazing around the room, Narcissa saw her parents talking with the widower, Mr. Crabbe, whose wife had passed on two years earlier from dragon pox. She watched as her cousins, Sirius and Regulus, chased each other around the other guests until her Aunt Walburga yanked them outside and scolded them. Not that a mere scolding would make much of a difference, she mused; Sirius was always finding ways to make mischief. Narcissa still had a scar on her leg from one of his "gifts" three years ago.

Andromeda stood alone in a corner of the room, clutching desperately to a glass of champagne, her shoulders hunched over as she avoided everyone's eyes. Narcissa watched as she took a large swallow of the bubbling liquid - nearly the whole glass - and felt guilty that she hadn't yet been able to talk to her about whatever was troubling her. There had been so much to do and Andromeda certainly hadn't made it easy to get her alone. Her sister had been avoiding her, which only fuelled Narcissa's desire to find out what was wrong. It wasn't the time or the place though. Narcissa hoped that after the wedding she would be able to have a long talk with her sister before she went back to Hogwarts. As of tomorrow there would only be a week before she went back and there was a lot for her to do still; she hadn't even bought her books for the next year. She decided to make Andromeda a priority, after getting her school books, of course, and then there was Lucius, she couldn't ignore him either…

A hand on her arm startled her from her thoughts. She turned around slowly, not surprised to see Rabastan standing behind her. She smiled. Over the summer they had become friends, not the sort of friend she would share everything with – that responsibility rested solely with Bellatrix – but they got on well enough.

"Andromeda looks like she's enjoying herself," he said dryly. "Look at her, the social butterfly, life of the party."

"Rabastan," she admonished. "That's my sister you're talking about."

"Well, can you blame me? She looks like she's at a funeral, not a wedding. What's the matter with her?"

"I don't know," Narcissa replied, her voice softening as she watched her sister again drink down another glass of champagne. She shook her head, this was the wrong time and definitely the wrong company to be discussing this with. "Let's talk about something else."

"That's fine by me," he replied. "Advise me on what you would like most to talk about."

Narcissa rolled her eyes upwards in mock concentration before turning her gaze back to Rabastan, eyes now reflecting both curiosity and determination. "Do rumours about you and a certain married lady hold any truth?"

"That would be telling, Narcissa, and I swore myself to secrecy," he teased.

"I knew it!" she crowed jubilantly. "Though, I can't believe that _you_ would get involved with Jezebel Smith."

"Is it so hard to believe? Don't you think I'm handsome enough?"

Narcissa ignored his question. "You'd best be careful there, Rabastan, she's on her third husband already. They say that they never did discover the body of the second one."

"Well, then I'm safe," he quipped. "I certainly don't plan on marrying her."

Narcissa laughed at him; Rabastan was the ultimate play-wizard. "No? Has some other young witch caught your eye?"

"Of course not. There's no hurry to get married now that my brother will soon be producing heirs. I plan to stay unattached until I'm too old to take care of myself and need a nimble young witch to cater to my whims."

"Well I hope it goes well for you," Narcissa replied, laughing. The crowds of people started to move into another room. "I think dinner is being served."

"In that case," Rabastan said, offering her his arm, "I would be delighted to escort you."

While Narcissa had little say over the seating plan of the wedding, she had been able to convince her sister to seat her with someone she knew, a particular someone, in fact. She doubted they would be next to each other; Bella would have had difficulties in justifying that, but she hoped that she might be on the same table as Lucius.

Bellatrix and her new husband sat at the high table with both their parents. Bellatrix had been adamant that she be on show with as few people cluttering around her as possible. Her mother had been furious, but Narcissa rather liked the idea. It would give the newlyweds more privacy to talk.

Andromeda was already seated at the second table next to Stewart. Narcissa smiled at her sister in acknowledgement and allowed Rabastan to help her into her own seat. She was grateful that he was seated next to her, guaranteeing some sort of interesting dinner conversation, and began looking around the table at her other dining companions. A cousin of Rodolphus was sitting next to Stewart, with Walden, a female friend of Rodolphus that she had only met once before, and, rounding out the table, Lucius Malfoy.

The table was comprised of people of a similar age, for which Narcissa was immensely relieved, as it meant that she could speak—well, not freely, but more so than if the table had been more mixed. Narcissa looked over to the table next to her own, at which Lucius' parent were seated. She took a few moments to study them both covertly over her glass. While his mother chatted gaily with Walden's mother, Narcissa could see the glances she kept shooting her husband, as though to check that she was not doing anything wrong. She had heard that Gwendoline Malfoy was timid, but this was almost ridiculous. Narcissa hoped that Lucius wouldn't expect her to act that way once they were married. His father, Abraxas Malfoy, was far more reserved. If someone spoke to him, he would reply as briefly as possible. Mr. Malfoy certainly didn't _chat_. Narcissa desperately hoped that he was simply intimidated by the large crowds and that in private he wasn't so indifferent and cold, otherwise she didn't know how she could possibly stand him.

Lucius turned away from Walden, who was attempting to seduce the witch on his right, and focused instead on Narcissa. He considered it his good fortune that he and Narcissa had been seated next to each other. Though, on later reflection he would realise that she must have had some hand in it.

He was shocked to see her scrutinising his parents. For some reason, her appraisal of them seemed just as important as her judgment of him. He felt naked and exposed as she turned her gaze from his mother to his father. This made him feel more at ease. His father would put forth a good impression. Lucius had never seen him act out of line in company.

The dark haired witch sitting opposite him disrupted his contemplation of Narcissa. Apparently she was Rodolphus' favourite cousin; he heard little else of her inane babble. He hoped that his turning away from her would be a hint that he wasn't interested; however he had no such luck. She continued her monologue until the first course arrived, though this did little to improve things, as she then began to make lewd actions with her spoon. He forced his eyes away from her and down to his plate, lest he give into temptation and hex her.

"Why, Lucius," Narcissa said serenely, "it appears that you already have an admirer. It seems the great Malfoy charm has once again ensnared another helpless witch."

His eyes snapped up to meet hers. A ghost of a smile played on the corners of her mouth. Was she mocking him?

"I must admit that I am baffled as to why our companion is so enthralled by me," he replied after a moment, his tone confidential and bemused. "I haven't even had a chance to Imperio her yet."

Narcissa laughed. "Only you could be so arrogant as to joke about an Unforgivable Curse, Lucius. You are lucky that there are no aurors within hearing distance."

"You underestimate me, Miss Black," Lucius contested. "You do not think that I would check for those who are treacherous before speaking, before I even entered the room? With the current political unease, I fear that everyone in our society would be a fool not to keep one hand on their wand."

Narcissa smiled. "Do you seek to give me advice, Lucius, or are you merely warning me of your magical prowess?"

"Perhaps a little of both," he replied smoothly. "After all, one can hardly expect to get by on good looks alone. There needs to be something else there, whether it be great intelligence, wit, magical ability, or even all three."

"You think a great deal of yourself, don't you?"

"On the contrary, Miss Black. I was referring to you," he replied, holding her gaze with his.

"Thank you," Narcissa replied, her cheeks reddening. She broke his intense gaze after a moment and took a sip of her champagne. The witch opposite took this as a chance to interrupt.

"I can't believe that we have a Mudblood as Minister," she complained loudly. "The wizarding world will be driven into the ground if we allow wizards like _him_ to be in positions of power."

Andromeda snapped her head up and glared at the witch. "Why should a _Muggle-born_ be any less qualified to run the Ministry than a pure-blood? At least he doesn't have any prejudices, which is more than I can say for the so called 'cream of wizarding society'."

Narcissa closed her eyes. Would it have been too much to ask to get through one dinner without her sister launching into one of her infamous tirades on Muggle-borns? Especially considering the company at the wedding.

Andromeda continued, ignorant, or perhaps relishing the attention that she had obtained. Some wizards laughed, others, like her mother, glared. Narcissa bowed her head, mortified.

She was grateful when Rabastan leaned over and murmured to her, "Just wait it out, she'll run out of steam in a moment. There's only so many things you can say in favour of Mudbloods."

Narcissa laughed and whispered back. "Thank you, Rabastan."

Sure enough, Andromeda talked herself to a standstill and dinner resumed as normal, the sounds of chatter and cutlery a welcome distraction after the uncomfortable silence Andromeda's words had created.

"Your sister is still very opinionated when it comes to blood purity," Lucius said after a while. "It seems some things never change."

"I remember her at Hogwarts," Rabastan interrupted. "Even as a first year she was always finding something to argue about. I remember that she contested the idea of a sorting, saying that it caused unnecessary friction between the houses. I've never seen Professor McGonagall look so surprised."

"I wish I could have seen it myself," Lucius said. "No doubt Dumbledore found her delightfully amusing," he added, his voice suddenly harsh. It was well known that Lucius disliked the Headmaster, though his reason for it was a mystery.

"I find it disgusting how he can favour Mudbloods," Lucius continued. "He's a pure-blood himself and yet he holds no pride for his own kind or his ancestors."

"I know of a wizard who promises to change the wizarding world forever," Rabastan said in a low voice. "He promises to bring back the old traditions and purify our world of its muggle stench."

"Such a revolution is long overdue," Lucius agreed. "Our world is not safe as long as Mudbloods are allowed to enter it. How long before they convince the Ministry to expose us all to the Muggles?"

"We will be back in the Dark Ages and all burned at the stake before a year has passed if we are discovered," Narcissa said. "It's ludicrous that the Muggle-borns think their world can intermingle with ours. They won't understand us."

"And ignorance leads to fear, which leads to hate. I agree, Narcissa, they will surely try to kill us. That is why I put so much faith in this wizard. I have only met him once, but his presence is overpowering. And if I am deemed worthy, I would follow him to the end."

"What is his name?" Lucius asked.

"I dare not speak it, it would be disrespectful to my Lord," Rabastan replied. "Suffice to say that very soon, few people will be ignorant to who he is and the wonders he has achieved."

* * *

Dancing followed dinner, and Narcissa had been looking forward to it all night. She took a turn with Rabastan, then Walden, and then her father before taking up residence in one of the chairs bordering the dance floor, drink in hand, claiming a desperate need for rest. She had hoped that Lucius would have asked her to dance by now, but he had disappeared sometime during her first dance. 

"A woman as beautiful as you should never be alone," an unctuous voice whispered in her ear.

Narcissa turned around sharply to see the cocky grin plastered on the face of Sebastian Merteuil. She pulled back slightly, unnerved by his closeness. "Sebastian, it's a pleasure to see you again," Narcissa forced out. "How are you?"

"All the better for seeing you," he replied. "I must say, Narcissa, you are looking radiant this evening."

"Thank you," she responded tightly.

"I always knew you'd grow into a beautiful woman." His eyes slid down her body distastefully. "It seems I was not wrong."

"Thank you for your compliments, Sebastian," Narcissa replied. She moved as if to leave but he grabbed her hand.

"Narcissa, you cannot be so rude as to leave me without a dance? Have we not been friends for years? Are our father's not friends?"

She took in his rakish smile and the glint in his mud coloured eyes and wished she could run away, but her pure-blood upbringing demanded she bite back her nasty retorts and swallow her disgust.

"Of course I'll dance with you Sebastian," Narcissa murmured demurely. "It would be an honour."

He grinned smugly. "I'm glad you see things my way."

Sebastian led Narcissa to the dance floor, and in keeping with her sudden bad luck, a slow song began. He pulled her close to him, and wrapped his arms around her, holding her in place.

"You don't know how long I've waited to wrap my arms around you. How much I've dreamt about it…" He glanced down, a lascivious smile on his face. "Of course, this isn't exactly as I pictured it, but there's still time."

"I'm not quite sure what you're implying," Narcissa replied frostily.

"I think you do, my dear. You are a very beautiful woman, I'm sure you've been intimate with many men." Her blush revealed the truth. "No? Then I will take great pleasure in opening you, my flower." His voice was smooth and oily.

"How dare you speak to me like that," Narcissa hissed.

"I thought you were intelligent? Was I wrong?" he said quietly. "Surely you must know that you and I are to wed? You belong to me."

"You are mistaken. I would _never_ marry you."

He laughed. "Not even at your father's behest? I think you would."

"He would never make me marry someone who I detest as much as you," she replied cruelly. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Sebastian gripped her arms tightly. "Don't think you're getting away that easily. You will be mine. Willingly or not."

His hands were hurting her, causing her eyes to rush with tears, but she willed them not to overflow. "Let go of me, before I call for my father."

He held her tighter still. "I don't think you will. Not even if I dragged you out of this ballroom."

"May I cut in?" said a firm, deep voice.

She turned, expecting to see Rabastan or even Walden. She was shocked to find that it was Lucius Malfoy who stood behind her, towering over Sebastian, whose intensity wilted under Lucius' glare. He immediately became all charm again.

"Of course you may. She is a most charming girl," Sebastian replied. He leaned forward and kissed Narcissa on the cheek, hissing, "We will finish our discussion later, believe me," before walking away.

Narcissa rubbed her arms where he had grabbed them and said, "Thank you, Lucius, for your timely arrival."

"Did he do that?" he asked, staring at the marks on her arms. He made to follow Sebastian, but she held him back.

"No, don't," Narcissa begged. "Just let it go. It didn't hurt, really." He snorted. "Lucius, Please?" Narcissa looked up at him, imploring Lucius to let Sebastian go. Only more trouble could come of his chasing him. Not to say she wouldn't enjoy watching Lucius hex that vile pig within an inch of his life, but she knew Sebastian. He'd run to his father and in turn, her father would find out and be very angry. She held on to Lucius' arm a little tighter.

He sighed. "Very well, but he had better keep his distance from now on."

"Thank you. Shall we…shall we have that dance then?" she asked hesitantly.

"It would be my pleasure," he replied

Narcissa smiled and moved into his arms. He certainly held her a good deal gentler than Sebastian had, she thought, sighing and allowing herself to relax.

Lucius certainly wasn't relaxed, though you wouldn't think it to look at him. He was furious. He himself hadn't always treated women nicely, but he had never done anything like that. And Lucius had never thought that Merteuil would turn violent, though he had evidently underestimated him. If that was the way he wanted to play it, he was more than happy to join in, he thought grimly. It was only because of Narcissa's begging that he hadn't gone after Merteuil and taught him a lesson. Later, he promised himself, later.

"Are you alright?" Narcissa asked him suddenly, both her face and voice reflecting her concern.

He looked down at her, surprised. The girl had just been threatened and she was asking him if _he_ was all right.

"Yes, I am quite well, thank you."

"That's good," she replied. "It's a shame we haven't had a chance to talk properly yet."

"The night is still young. Perhaps you would consent to taking a walk with me on the grounds?" he asked, spinning her in a circle.

She smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

After the song ended, he offered her his arm and led her out to the gardens. It was still light out, despite the hour, and many others had sought relief from the crowded ballroom. Lucius had never been to the Lestrange household before, so he allowed Narcissa to lead the way. She led him away from the house, through the different paths with ease and Lucius remarked on her knowledge of the grounds.

"Yes, Rabastan and I often came outside when the talk of wedding plans became too much," she replied absently.

"I didn't realise you two were so close," he said casually.

She turned to look at him. "I would hope we were close, considering we are family now."

The pair walked down a path lined with elm trees. Eventually Lucius spoke again, "You still have a debt to pay, Miss Black."

"I do?" she questioned.

"Yes. I believe you promised to have dinner with me."

She replied with a smile. "I thought I just did."

Lucius stopped suddenly and turned to face her. "I meant _alone_," he said firmly.

"That wasn't part of the original deal, I'm afraid."

He narrowed his eyes, trying to determine whether she was serious or simply toying with him. "Narcissa, I thought you, of all people, would honour your word."

"Why? Am I a Gryffindor?" she replied.

Without meaning to, he smiled. "No. You, Narcissa Black, are Slytherin through and through."

"Maybe not, I'm suddenly feeling very generous," she said. "Perhaps I _will_ have dinner with you again."

Lucius took a step towards her. "I do believe you were teasing me," he said. "Do you think that's wise?"

She swallowed. "Why wouldn't it be?"

He stepped forward again so that their torsos were lightly touching. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed and he fought the urge to look down. She shivered slightly and he noticed that the sun had begun to dip below the tree line. "Are you cold?" he asked.

She shook her head forcefully. "I'm fine," she said, but her voice wavered.

Lucius smirked. It seemed she was not as indifferent to his charms as he had first thought. This could prove to be very beneficial to him and his plans. Dear Narcissa, he thought to himself, you're playing right into my hands.

"Perhaps we should go inside now," Narcissa said, looking up at his face.

He leaned in closer so that his face was inches from hers. "Why? Things are just getting interesting," he said cockily.

He was caught off guard when she pushed him away firmly. "We really should be going inside now," Narcissa insisted.

Lucius recovered himself. "If that is your wish," he said, and offered her his arm once more.

There was little said as they walked back towards the house. Lucius could see just how late it had gotten, for there was no one else wandering about anymore. The sun was rapidly disappearing, and he hoped that Narcissa knew the way back in the dark.

"Aren't the stars bright tonight?" Narcissa commented, gazing upwards.

Lucius had never seen anything particularly interesting about stars so after a cursory glance upwards he tried to move Narcissa along, but she wouldn't budge.

"Look," she said, pointing. "You can see almost all the constellations. Aren't they beautiful?"

"If you find white spots in the sky _beautiful_," Lucius replied, sneering.

She smiled at him. "Yes, I remember that you never did like Astronomy. You once said that 'looking up at the sky was quite possibly the biggest waste of time, second only to Muggle Studies.' You got a detention for that."

"I'd forgotten about that. Do you make a habit of remembering every little word that comes out of my mouth?"

"Only when you say something particularly idiotic," she replied.

"Which must be fairly often," said a third voice from behind them.

"Walden," Narcissa exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest and trying to catch her breath. "You scared me."

"Good, I don't feel a party is successful unless I've taken at least one woman's breath away."

Narcissa laughed politely while Lucius glared. He had been hoping to have Narcissa alone for a few more minutes; surely Walden would have understood that. His interruption was most aggravating, but he rather appreciated the way that Narcissa's fingers had entwined themselves around his arm.

"I'm sorry for the interruption," Walden said, reading Lucius' mind, "but I thought it would interest you to know that it is getting rather late and many of the guests have already left. Bellatrix has been asking after you, Narcissa."

"I'd better get back quickly then," she replied. "Is it really that late?"

He nodded. "You should hurry, I'll take Lucius back, I need to talk to him anyway, and we'll only slow you down."

Narcissa inclined her head in farewell and hurried off, slightly put out that she was being sent away so the two could talk. What could they possibly have to discuss that she might not be privy to? Unless they were discussing her, of course, but then why would Walden seek Lucius out especially?

Her mind was spinning in circles as she re-entered the ballroom and sought out her sister through the thinning crowds.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

As she stared out of the window at the blurs of fields and trees, Narcissa reflected on the last week of the holidays and how much had happened in such a short space of time. Her sister's wedding had been a success and the next day she had seen the newlywed Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange off on their honeymoon in Europe. That very same day, she had gone to Diagon Alley with Andromeda to purchase school supplies.

Narcissa had hoped for a chance to talk to her sister about what was troubling her, and had been adamant that once she got her alone Andromeda would not be able to get away. But as soon as they arrived, Andromeda had unloaded a bag of galleons on her and hurried off, saying she was meeting someone. Narcissa had tried to follow her but Andromeda seemed to just disappear. She suspected that she had apparated away somewhere; it was all very mysterious. Luckily, Narcissa had bumped into some school friends and was able to spend the day with them until her sister magically reappeared to take her home.

Since then, it had been impossible to get anywhere near Andromeda. She would sneak out of the house early in the morning and reappear at dinner, after which she would lock herself in her room. On the one occasion that Narcissa managed to corner her, Andromeda had snapped at her to mind her own business, saying that she didn't want her help. Narcissa had wished that Bellatrix had been there. She would have gotten everything sorted out.

But there were other things to think about: school was rapidly approaching and Narcissa was busy reading her new books and finishing her summer assignments. Then, of course, there was her dinner with Lucius, which went far better than expected. She had worried that after her actions at her sister's wedding, he would be annoyed at her. She hadn't meant to lead him on, or for it to go so far, but when the time came, she froze, unsure of what to do and not liking the fact that at that moment, under the trees, she was completely in his hands. It scared her, and the only sensible thing to do was to push him away, no matter how much her treacherous body screamed at her give in. However, the evening went by perfectly and when they parted ways, he took her hand and said, "I had a really enjoyable evening tonight, Narcissa. I wish it didn't have to end," without any trace of falsehood in his face or tone of voice. She had made real progress with him, she thought somewhat smugly.

They had exchanged several letters since then, and it was still nothing serious—not officially, anyway, but she had a strong suspicion that he felt more for her than his cool demeanour portrayed.

"Narcissa," Elizabeth snapped. "Are you going to ignore us for the entire journey?"

"Oh leave her alone, Elizabeth. She's lovesick," Emily cooed.

Narcissa whipped her head around so quickly she was momentarily afraid she'd snapped a tendon. "What? Don't be ridiculous! I'm not in love."

"No, I think she may have a point. All this staring out of the window and love struck sighing," Elizabeth mocked. "Merlin help us, he's even ensnared poor, innocent Cissy."

Narcissa frowned, hating hearing her family nickname from her friends. When she looked at Elizabeth's face, she instantly realized that Elizabeth knew how much she detested it, and her irritation grew.

Harmony Parkinson laughed. "Now, now, don't tease the poor girl." She tossed her dark hair back and looked down at the younger girls with an air of maturity and authority. "You can't help who you love."

"But I don't," Narcissa said forcefully. The last thing she needed was this spreading around the school – or worse, to Lucius' ears. "We're just friends and nothing more."

"All the same," Elizabeth said, "you should be careful. Lucius Malfoy doesn't keep female friends for long before he either seduces or gets rid of them."

"What about Catherine Borgin?" Harmony asked. "They've been friends for years."

"I don't like Catherine," Emily interrupted. "She was really rude to me when I had to work with her in Potions in fourth year."

"What did she say?" Elizabeth asked.

"She said she couldn't believe that Slughorn had paired her with such a brain dead fool. I can't believe she would say something like that."

"Isn't that the lesson you forgot to add bicorn horn and the cauldron exploded?"

"Well yes, but I did that on purpose to teach her a lesson. Teach her to call me brain dead."

"Yes, that really is quite cunning," Elizabeth said sarcastically. "I can see why you were put in Slytherin."

Narcissa leant back in the seat and allowed the inane gossip to flow over her. It seemed far more monotonous than it had done before, but it gave her a chance to sit and think without saying much in return.

She was glad to be going back to school. The work was hard and sometimes the people were insufferable, but it did afford her some freedoms that she didn't have at home. Times were changing, even if her parents chose to ignore it. They were old fashioned and expected their daughters to behave as they did when they were growing up. Her mother was especially strict, always chiding her for the slightest things. She frowned when she went for walks with Rabastan, and positively glared if she snuck off somewhere with Walden; it was always about how it _could_ look to people, despite the fact that anyone who knew Narcissa had little doubt of anything untoward happening. Her mother was stuck in her ways, refusing to accept that it wasn't quite so shocking for a young woman to have male friends.

It was lucky that she'd never seen Bellatrix at school, Narcissa mused. She had been with a different boy practically every month in her sixth and seventh years. And yet, somehow, she had managed to end her school days engaged to Rodolphus Lestrange. It was baffling. But then Bellatrix always liked to get her own way, and usually did, one way or the other, even if it meant going against their parents wishes. Narcissa was the opposite, Sebastian had been right in that sense; ultimately Narcissa would do as her father asked her. Andromeda was like Bellatrix, stubborn and set in her own ways, but Narcissa was sure that if it was something important then Andromeda would do as asked—after all, family came before anything else.

Slowly the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station and Narcissa and her friends stood up and stretched after the long journey. They were still discussing Harmony's current love interest, an Italian she had met during the summer.

"It was nothing serious," Harmony insisted with a smile, "we were simply very good friends. Actually, he said he might be coming to England for a while, so maybe I could convince him to come to Hogsmeade for a day."

Narcissa followed her friends to the carriages, carefully avoiding Lucius' eye. It would not do for her to seem too eager to see him. Not yet, anyway.

As she settled in the carriage with the other girls from the upper two years of Slytherin House, she noticed that Catherine was not present. It then occurred to her that she hadn't joined them on the journey on the train either.

"Emily, have you seen Catherine today?" she asked.

Her friend shook her head. "I haven't seen her since before the holidays," she said. "Why do you ask? You aren't particular friends with her any more than I am."

"Yes, well, if she isn't here with the rest of the girls, then where is she?"

Emily paused. "I see," she said slowly and triumphantly. "You're afraid that she's with Lucius. I knew you loved him, you're already jealous."

"As I said before, Emily, I am not in love with him. I – I merely wondered where she was…it's not right for her to be separated from the rest of us." The tale sounded false even to her own ears.

"I don't think you need to worry, Narcissa. Catherine and Lucius have been friends for years. If she was going to try something, she would have by now."

Her friend's words didn't comfort Narcissa; she knew from experience that women always fought for what they wanted. Or Slytherin women did, at any rate. A Hufflepuff would never dream of scheming to achieve a relationship—they believed in love at first sight and other such romantic nonsense. A Gryffindor would be too noble to implement such trickery and a Ravenclaw would be too busy studying. But a Slytherin was up for anything, and Catherine—well, Narcissa knew she would use all her cunning to get what she wanted. She had seen her in action; it was unsure if Penelope would ever get rid of that twitch.

Narcissa smirked slightly. It had been Penelope's own fault really, for everyone knew Catherine was very creative with her curses and anyone with half a brain would have run a mile when she reached for her wand. Not Penelope, though. She had insisted that Catherine was in the wrong, and that she had copied from _her_ Potions essay. She even went to Slughorn about it.

There was her biggest mistake. You just didn't do that in Slytherin. It was about house loyalty. But Penelope wouldn't understand house traditions or things that spanned generations. She was the first of her family to be in Slytherin and could only boast a few generations of pure blood in her family.

Unsurprisingly, Penelope got no sympathy when Catherine hexed her purple, nor the next week when she sprouted horns, or the week after that when her pillow attacked her in the night. And she certainly got no support when she complained. "You must have been dreaming, Penelope," her dorm mates said sympathetically. "Yes, of course we'll keep an eye on her, Professor Slughorn…"

Narcissa looked over at the red haired girl. Even now, nearly six months after she had apologised to Catherine and the curses had stopped, she still jumped at the slightest noise. Her nails were bitten down to stubs and her eyes darted around the carriage as if she expected a Boggart to appear. When Penelope saw Narcissa staring, her eyes widened and she shrank back slightly.

Yes, Catherine could prove to be a worthy adversary, Narcissa decided. The question was whether Catherine wanted Lucius, and what Narcissa could do about that. She frowned slightly as she stared out of the window. Narcissa rather hoped that Catherine would be in a relationship herself when her plans came to a head, or at the very least there would be strong evidence that Lucius and Catherine would never be together, seriously. Having an enemy who was so close to Lucius and all his friends could be her downfall. She resolved to become closer to Catherine; perhaps she could invite her to join them all in Hogsmeade?

"Wake up, Narcissa," Elizabeth called out in a sing-song voice as the carriage stopped. "We're here."

"I wasn't asleep," she protested, standing up.

"Well you certainly looked dreamy eyed. Thinking of a certain Slytherin boy, were we?" Elizabeth was really grating on Narcissa's nerves today, with all her teasing and snide remarks about Lucius.

"Oh leave her alone, Elizabeth," Harmony said, quickly tiring of a subject that didn't include her. "Let's get inside; I want to see the sorting." As they walked up the stone steps, she took Narcissa's arm. "You must be interested to see what house your cousin is sorted into?"

"Nonsense, I already know where Sirius will be. He will be in Slytherin. The Blacks have been Slytherins for centuries."

"Are you sure you aren't tempting fate there, Narcissa?" Elizabeth asked.

"Perhaps…" she replied, smiling. Narcissa felt she had nothing to worry about with her cousin. If her sister Andromeda had made it to Slytherin, he would have no trouble. He was so mischievous, always pulling pranks; there really was no other place for him. He would terrify Hufflepuffs, aggravate Ravenclaws and as for Gryffindor… the thought didn't bear thinking about.

No, he would be in Slytherin. Then she could keep an eye on him and try to calm him down somewhat. He was always getting into trouble and her aunt was at her wits end. Narcissa's own mother couldn't stand to be around him for more than an hour so had almost ignored her sister in law for the last five years to avoid being asked to watch Sirius. The still saw each other at holidays or special occasions, of course, but the joined trips to Diagon Alley and afternoon visits had all but stopped. Narcissa wondered if they would start again now that Sirius had begun school.

Sirius' brother, Regulus, was a fine boy, though too easily led by his brother. She hoped that without Sirius' influence for a year, Regulus would have matured by the time he came to Hogwarts. He wouldn't last a day in Slytherin if he was so easily manipulated.

Soon enough all the students were seated at their respective tables and the first years walked in behind prim looking Professor McGonagall. Most of them looked terrified and gazed around the room in awe. A few, her cousin included, looked completely unfazed. In fact, she could detect a familiar grin on his face, indicating he was already plotting his next trick.

As the hat began to sing, Narcissa let her attention wander. After six years of sorting ceremonies they did become rather dull. She took the time to study Sirius. He certainly looked different in his uniform, neater and more orderly. His hair even looked like it had been recently brushed. He stood close to a short, dark haired boy with glasses and every now and then would nudge him and grin. It seemed he had already made a friend on the train.

She was glad. This boy, although he wasn't _stopping_ her cousin from fooling around, certainly wasn't encouraging it. She could only hope that he was from a good family. She didn't recognise him, but he had an air about him that just screamed pureblood. He certainly wasn't a Mudblood. They were easily distinguishable, with their eyes wide and their mouths open as they stared at the sorting hat.

It was quite uncouth.

She could see one now, a plump sandy haired boy. His small, rat-like face was grubby and his robes looked worn; he obviously wasn't even a wealthy Mudblood. He had nothing to redeem himself at all. He didn't even have a basic form of manners, as she saw him wipe his nose on his sleeve. Narcissa wrinkled her nose and turned away.

There was a girl with long, red hair who stared at everything in the room with wide, analytical eyes of a most startling green hue. A definite candidate for a Ravenclaw, Narcissa mused, but definitely _not_ from a magical family.

A thin, sallow skinned boy caught her eye, but only because he seemed to be staring directly at her. His hair was long and dark and his nose was abnormally large and crooked. He turned from her and she saw his lip curl in disgust as he saw the plump boy from earlier stick a finger in his ear.

"So come and sit upon the stool

Be sorted in this magic school.

But do not worry, do not fret,

There's plenty room for you yet," the sorting hat finished with thunderous applause from the rest of the school.

When the shouting and clapping died down, Professor McGonagall produced a list from her robes and proceeded to call up the new students. First, was a small, fair haired girl called Megan Ackerly. She trembled as she sat on the stool and the hat barely touched her head before announcing her as a Hufflepuff.

Next was Charles Avery. Narcissa knew his family fairly well, having met them several times at various parties and social functions. She wasn't at all close to his sister as Bellatrix had made it quite obvious that Caroline Avery was not someone worthy of her time. Charles looked a lot like Caroline; he had the same sharp, thin face and hollow cheeks. His hair was definitely his father's though, dark, curly and glistening with the same oil his father used to keep it neat.

The hat was placed on his head and in less than ten seconds, it exclaimed the word everyone in the hall must have been expecting: "Slytherin!"

Narcissa clapped along with her housemates as Avery came to join them. The seventh year prefects greeted him briefly as he sat down – that was all there was time to do, as McGonagall lifted up the parchment to read the next name.

"Sirius Black," McGonagall read out and Narcissa craned her head to see her cousin step up to the stool.

The hat took a rather long time on Sirius. As the minutes ticked away, Narcissa could feel her anxiety build, though what she was nervous of, she wasn't sure. She glanced around quickly at her fellow Slytherins. Would the hat's indecision over her cousin be a source of amusement? She had never seen the hat take so long over a Slytherin. You either had what it took or you didn't, everybody knew that.

Eventually the hat seemed to make up its mind and shouted, "Gryffindor!"

Narcissa froze. Gryffindor? That couldn't possibly be right. The Blacks had been in Slytherin for generations; it was practically a family tradition. She stared at her cousin as he stepped off the stool and removed the hat. He didn't even look disappointed, but perhaps he was trying to hide it. Yes, she would remain calm for now and then after the feast they would go and speak to the Headmaster and demand a resorting.

Narcissa tried to catch his eye as he sat down, hoping to somehow convey the plan to him, to reassure him that this was just a temporary glitch.

He winked at her.

---

Lucius watched Narcissa throughout the whole of the welcoming feast and was almost amused by the entire situation. She was enraged by what was, to him, a fairly trivial matter. Her cousin was a Gryffindor, unfortunate, but certainly not the crisis she was making it out to be. He had always been of the opinion that women tended to overreact, however, and so was not surprised in the least.

He certainly was not sad to be rid of the little monster. He might have been a pureblood, but at Bellatrix's wedding he had behaved like a heathen, running around and knocking into people. Who knew what trouble Sirius Black could have caused to his plans had he been in Slytherin? Now he was a safe distance away in Gryffindor, and besides, with the amount of trouble Narcissa's cousin was bound to cause, it was probably better that he lose the Gryffindors' hard earned points. They'd probably find him entertaining.

The rest of the sorting had been rather uninteresting. There had been no other surprises, though Lucius had been rather amused to see a shabby, rat faced boy called Pettigrew get into to Gryffindor. He supposed that the hat was trying to be ironic as there was no way that he possessed any of the infamous Gryffindor courage. Maybe there was simply nowhere else for him to go?

Avery and Rosier had, of course been sorted into Slytherin along with some half-blood called McKillip. His grandfather, Edmund, had married a mudblood and disgraced his entire family. Lucius' father had told him that the only reason Edmund wasn't disowned was because he was the only surviving son and it was quite impossible for any more to be born. Edmund's son, Frederick, had been at school with Abraxas, and while he was a brilliant student and very charming and witty, he was still only a half-blood, and so he hadn't been able to marry into a pureblood family. Lucius could only hope that this McKillip would be as clever as his father was, and wouldn't start getting ideas above his status. There was nothing he hated more than people of lesser birth acting as though they owned the world. Somehow he found it more offensive when it was a half-blood, because they should know better…

"Wouldn't you agree, Lucius?" Catherine distracted him from his thoughts.

He turned away from the fire and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

Catherine laughed. "I said some of the new Slytherins look quite good this year."

He gazed at the small group huddled in the shadows of the common room. "We'll see," he replied. "I'll agree with you when we've won the House Cup."

"And the Quidditch Cup," Walden interjected. "I can't believe that Ravenclaw have beaten us for the last two years."

"They've had some good players," Lucius admitted. "Unfortunately for them, their seeker left last year and I don't think they have anyone even half as good, unless they use a first year." He laughed. That would never happen.

"Lucky for us then," Walden said. "Merlin knows that I'm going to have a stack of work to get through every night, I could use an easy year of Quidditch. One last win before I leave."

"Please stop talking about Quidditch," Catherine begged. "I forbid you to get into one of your marathon discussions before we've even been here a night."

"I thought you liked Quidditch, Catherine?" Walden asked.

"There's a difference between enjoying a match and listening to two people discuss the subtle nuances between the Nimbus 1000 and Comet 270 or whether the Chudley Cannons would play better if they sat on their brooms backwards. Please, try to hold off on this _riveting_ conversation until tomorrow."

"You could go and talk with the girls if you don't enjoy our conversation," Lucius said.

"You mean with them?" Catherine asked, nodding at Narcissa and her friends. "Lucius, you have no idea how dull they are. They're always talking about clothes or gossiping about other people. It's rather repetitive."

"But isn't it your duty as a prefect to look after the wellbeing of your fellow Slytherins?" Lucius asked.

Catherine laughed. "This coming from the person who on his first day of being a prefect managed to _accidentally_ push a second year into a wall?"

"He was in my way," Lucius replied without guilt. "Besides, I haven't had a year of practice like you."

"Why _are_ you prefect this year?" Walden asked. "What happened to Carrow?"

Lucius looked surprised. "Can this be true? Is there something that Walden Macnair _doesn't_ know?"

Walden shrugged. "I had a busy year last year, as you'll soon find out. Sixth year isn't easy, you know. But don't change the subject, what did Carrow do?"

"Dumbledore caught him selling essays and answers to tests. You know how Slughorn always uses the same assignments every year for every class," Catherine explained. "Anyway, Dumbledore found out and decided that he was too bad an influence to continue being prefect."

"So he picked Malfoy," Walden said slowly. "He must be senile."

"Well he could hardly pick one of the Rosewood twins could he?" Catherine said. "They would have argued about it for months. And as for Augustus...there really aren't any words necessary. Lucius was the lesser of the evils."

"Thank you Catherine," Lucius said dryly. "It's nice to know you care."

Catherine laughed. "I think you must have gone a bit soft over the summer, Lucius. What's wrong? Is Narcissa too much for you to handle?"

"What do you mean? There's nothing going on between Narcissa and me," Lucius snapped. He glared Walden but his friend merely put his hands up in innocence.

"Lucius, please, everybody knows that you're courting her. Which is why I'm so interested: you've never actually _courted_ a girl before. You must really like her," Catherine said.

Catherine didn't know of the plan, and though it had briefly crossed his mind to tell her and enlist her help, ultimately he decided against it. Walden and Augustus would do, and the less people who knew about it the less chance there was of someone letting it slip. Besides, where women were concerned you never knew where their allegiance lay: with their friends or with their sex. They seemed to have tricky rules about that sort of thing.

When no answer seemed forthcoming, Catherine and Walden began talking of other things. Lucius polished his silver prefect badge on his robes and stared into the fire, his thoughts once again occupied by Narcissa.

Over the summer, he had gotten to know her, but every time he thought he understood where he stood with her, the game changed and he was back at square one. She was unpredictable; one minute she was teasing him and the next she was turning away. He needed to know how to play her and then she would be at his beck and call. The game plan changed, but the end result was always the same.

Yes, he was finding Narcissa quite a challenge, but an enjoyable one. When they were alone he rather liked having her focussed completely on him, even if she was only discussing the weather. He always had liked being centre of attention, ever since he was a child.

Lucius watched as Narcissa laughed at something Harmony Parkinson had said, her blonde hair shining in the firelight. She glanced over at him and he held her gaze for a moment before she turned back to her companions. Lucius smiled. He knew what the next stage of his plan was, and Narcissa wouldn't stand a chance.

---

Author's Notes: A huge thanks to TB4me2000 from Sycophant Hex for beta-ing for me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

At breakfast, Lucius had managed, by his own cunning, to secure a seat next to Narcissa. And so, when their head of house, Professor Slughorn, handed out their schedules for the year, he could see which classes – or even better, free periods – he shared with the witch.

"Congratulations on your OWL results, Mister Malfoy," Slughorn said as he handed him his timetable. "Best History of Magic marks in nearly a century, you should be proud."

It was no easy feat when your professor was a ghost and as dull as dragons dung.

"Yes, you should have no problems with your classes this year, though I am disappointed you chose not to continue with Potions," Slughorn continued. "Ah well, can't win them all."

Slughorn sigh heavily and shuffled the parchment in his hands until he came across Narcissa's timetable and results. "Ah yes, Miss Black," he said. "Hmmm, a disappointing Potions result, I was expecting an Outstanding from you. Nevertheless, you still qualify to return to Potions. Perhaps this year you will prepare yourself better for the exam."

"Yes, Professor," Narcissa replied, looking up from her timetable.

"Professor McGonagall was thrilled with your Transfiguration result, though. Well done," Slughorn congratulated her before moving down to speak with Elizabeth.

When she put her timetable down to have a drink of pumpkin juice, Lucius took the opportunity to see how her timetable matched his. Two of her subjects were the same as his, Transfiguration, and Defence against the Dark Arts, but they only shared Transfiguration class. Narcissa also took Potions, Charms, Divination and Astronomy.

"You take Divination and Astronomy?" Lucius scoffed.

"As you can see," she replied. "What's wrong with that?"

"Well, they aren't exactly the most challenging of subjects, are they? All you do is spend a few hours looking through a telescope and draw pretty pictures. And Divination?" he scoffed. "_That_ has got to be the most pointless subject that this school offers, even more so than Muggle Studies," he finished, a look of extreme distaste crossing his features.

"Oh, really?" she said frostily. "Then please, tell me how Ancient Runes challenges your mind? I seem to remember that you were allowed to use your rune dictionary in the exam last year. It must be so difficult to turn pages and write the answers at the same time. It's a good thing you don't have to think, isn't it?"

Around them, a few Slytherins laughed; their argument had attracted an audience. In the same authoritative, deprecating tone his father used, he replied, "At least Ancient Runes is useful; we wouldn't have had nearly so many medical and potions advances without translating the runes from Merlin's time."

Narcissa smiled. "Then perhaps we should abandon you somewhere without a wand and see how long it takes you to get back. _If_ you manage to find your way back without the stars to guide you, and then who would we have to translate these terribly important runes?"

Lucius had to agree that she had a point. Damn her. "Very well, but I doubt you can prove that Divination is such a useful tool with such eloquence."

"With Divination, it is preferable to let the individual decide for themselves, for it is not so clear cut as Ancient Runes or even Astronomy. Not every prophecy comes true in the manner expected and so is regarded as having failed, as being false, a lie. Who is to lay down the future in absolute terms? It is uncertain, of course, but this by no means makes it a redundant study. If nothing else, it teaches us to be wary of our futures and what _could_ happen," Narcissa replied with a small shrug.

"Maybe you're right," Lucius said, "but how would we know? It could all be drivel, couldn't it, if it's all so uncertain, so undefined? Even if we tried to test it, most seers' prophecies are so vague that it's almost impossible for them _not_ to be true in some way. 'Certain events will cause you to question the motives of your closest friends'. After reading something like that, of course you would start questioning people's motives; it makes you paranoid."

"It looks like you've been reading Witch Weekly too much, Lucius," Narcissa teased. "No, I agree, horoscopes like that are far too ambiguous; they could apply to anybody, regardless of birth sign. I prefer private sessions using a variety of media, because it allows you to get a truly personal horoscope for that person. Though I find the crystal ball to be the most accurate method of fortune telling, one cannot exclude the other more imprecise media, such as reading tea leaves or palm reading."

"So perhaps, to prove your point, you should try telling my fortune privately one night, and then we can see who is right?" Lucius suggested.

Narcissa smiled. "We'll see," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go to Charms."

The other Slytherins who had gathered around them also began to move off to their own lessons. Lucius checked his timetable and saw that he had Ancient Runes; a nice, easy lesson for the start of term. He picked up his book bag and headed for the fourth floor with Augustus.

Narcissa, however, had a task to complete before she went to her lesson. The Gryffindor table, in all its rambunctious, gaudy splendour, beckoned her.

Her cousin was sitting surrounded by his classmates, in the middle of a joke. He'd always had a natural charisma that drew people to him, though usually he used it just to lure them into a false sense of security before playing a trick on them. He certainly had the cunning of a Slytherin and Narcissa could only wonder what Gryffindor qualities he somehow possessed had triumphed over his blood, his nature.

Sirius looked up as she approached, holding her gaze as he delivered the punch line, "…and she still has the scar to this day. Isn't that right Cissy?"

The Gryffindors all turned to stare at her, hiding sniggers in their too long robe sleeves. Narcissa's eyes narrowed slightly at Sirius' wicked smile. How dare he spread stories about her, especially with a bunch of Mudbloods and Blood Traitors?

His friends continued to laugh. The plump Mudblood from the sorting was practically inhaling his handkerchief in an attempt to stifle his laughter. She turned back to Sirius, his calm face taunting her. Well, two could play at that game. Her father had always said that revenge was best served with kind words and a malicious intent.

Narcissa smiled sweetly. "I'm so glad you seem to be making friends so easily, Sirius. I was so worried that you'd be missing home," she said with false concern. "After all, you've never been away from home before – not even a day away from your mother." She ignored Sirius and instead turned to the boy with glasses. "Was he alright last night? He didn't have any…troubles, did he?"

"N-no, everything was fine," the boy replied.

"Oh that's good," Narcissa replied, smiling. "I was concerned that… no, never mind. I'm sure you _must_ have grown out of that by now." Sirius flushed red with embarrassment as the Gryffindors began to laugh again though this time at him, even some of the older students were laughing. It wasn't often that a Slytherin approached their table and they weren't about to let their manners get in the way of hearing the gossip.

"But, how could you be so rude?" Narcissa continued. "Please do introduce me to your friends."

Sirius scowled at her, but she continued to stare at him expectantly. Eventually, and with very bad grace, he said, "This is James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Marcus Reilly."

James Potter; she wasn't aware the Potters had a son Sirius' age, but she was glad that he at least had the decency to seek out the most eligible boy and become particular friends with him; he was the boy he had been whispering to during the Sorting. He was from a good Pureblood family, not one the Blacks were intimately acquainted with but still a highly respected family.

Remus Lupin… she would guess by his name that he was a half blood. But he seemed like a nice boy; quiet and shy, but polite. Though she was disappointed by his blood status, perhaps he could calm Sirius down; she could not have her cousin embarrassing her for the next two years. Lupin's amber eyes stared up at her and he flushed, seemingly embarrassed by her appraisal.

Neither of her cousin's other two companions, Pettigrew and Reilly, won her approval. Pettigrew was rather disgusting, still wiping his nose on his robes despite her seeing him with a handkerchief only moments before. As for Reilly, well, she wasn't quite sure what it was that bothered her, perhaps it was the superior tilt of his chin or the way he stared at her, but she was certain that this Mudblood was getting ideas above his station.

"Narcissa, are you ready for Charms?" Emily said, appearing by her side. "Only, we'll be late if we don't get going."

"Yes, I'm ready," she replied, moving to follow her friend. "Oh, and Sirius," Narcissa said, turning around, "we'll need to talk together in private later today. I'll come and get you after dinner, so try not to take too long."

Narcissa didn't wait for a reply before catching up with Emily and heading for the Charms classroom. Perhaps that "accidental slip" would teach Sirius a lesson. She might have put up with his tricks before, but he was young then. He was a child. Now that he was at Hogwarts, he had a certain standard to uphold; he couldn't embarrass the Black family anymore. Perhaps a taste of his own medicine would teach him.

She and Emily made it to Charms with barely any time to spare; Flitwick was already balanced on top of his pile of books behind the desk when they arrived. He didn't take points though, not even a warning look. It was the first day, after all, and all of the teachers were far more lenient than they would be if her near-tardiness happened later in the term.

Once she was settled into her seat and the class had quieted down, Flitwick launched into a lecture about how hard they would have to work that year in this and all of their NEWT classes. He kept his speech short, though (no doubt they would hear it again from other professors, Narcissa thought) and began explaining the spell they would practice that lesson. Narcissa rather liked Flitwick's lessons; they were always fast paced and full of useful information. She remembered History of Magic with a shudder. Narcissa had never been happier than when she had finished her last lesson ever. She pulled out her quill and a clean sheet of parchment and began to take notes.

"Narcissa, can I ask you a question?" Emily whispered once Flitwick was busy writing on the board.

"Page 231," Narcissa replied automatically. After five years of having classes with Emily, she had gotten used to repeating instructions or sharing her notes with the witch.

"No, it's not that," she said quickly, although she did proceed to open her Charms book to the correct page. "I was just wondering about your cousin. Are you really disappointed that he's in Gryffindor?"

"Of course I am," she replied. "The Blacks have always been in Slytherin. He's ruined a family tradition." But that wasn't the only reason she was worried. With Sirius in Gryffindor among Mudbloods and Blood Traitors, he would be badly influenced during a critical stage in his development. With a sister now spouting the virtues of Mudbloods, having a cousin join Dumbledore's ranks would be devastating to the Black family. They could lose all credibility with those of good blood status. Narcissa could only hope that Walburga Black had raised him properly, so any outside influences would be ignored.

Narcissa turned her attention back to the lesson and listened intently as Professor Flitwick explained the theory behind producing something out of nothing, the basis behind many of the more difficult charms, like Aguamenti. Her quill scratched across the parchment as she recorded Flitwick's lecture, ignoring the sighing and shuffling of the girl beside her. Emily could be very distracting in lessons, fidgeting or trying to talk, but Narcissa had learnt how to ignore it over the years.

"Narcissa," Emily whispered some time later.

Narcissa didn't even look up from her notes. "Yes?" she responded tersely.

"Do you think there's something wrong with Elizabeth?"

"What do you mean?" Narcissa replied, copying a set of incantations from the board.

"Well she's been a bit…off with us, hasn't she?" Emily explained.

"I hadn't noticed."

"You must have. She keeps on having little digs at us. You especially."

Narcissa frowned slightly, thinking. "It's just her way," she said eventually. "You know how she thinks she's superior to everyone…"

"Maybe," Emily conceded. "It just seems strange…that's all." She leaned over to check on Narcissa's notes before resuming her own.

Narcissa pushed the conversation to the back of her mind and tried to listen to Flitwick once again, but it proved impossible. _Was_ Elizabeth acting strangely? She had noticed that Elizabeth's comments seemed far more malicious than usual but surely that was just Elizabeth's way. Had something happened to her over the summer?

No, she had seemed fine at her sister's wedding. Still insisting she knew better than everyone else, but there was no real malice behind her words. Now, though…

Narcissa idly tapped her quill against the parchment, deep in thought. She was sure that Elizabeth wasn't acting out of the ordinary, but Emily did know her better and had a knack for reading people. Perhaps she was just annoyed at having lost the prefect position to Catherine, again. Yes, that was probably it, she decided. Last year, after all, Elizabeth had moaned to them for _weeks_ that she would have been better suited to the role and by next year the Headmaster would see the error of his ways when Catherine failed spectacularly. That hadn't been the case. Catherine was well liked and had been a good prefect last year. Dumbledore obviously saw no need to replace her and if she was honest, he was probably far more likely to substitute in Narcissa than Elizabeth. Not that Narcissa wanted the role; she would rather concentrate on her studies and her future.

By the time they moved from notes to practicing, Narcissa had covered five sheets of parchment. Emily had only three, and all were covered with doodles.

The witches spent their fifteen-minute break outside on the grounds, enjoying the sunshine while it lasted. Narcissa settled herself beneath the shade of a tree and stared out across the grounds. Most of the school was outside, too, and a group of seventh year Hufflepuffs were throwing a quaffle to each other nearby.

"How is your sister?" Narcissa asked, distracting Emily from the Hufflepuff boys. Emily's mother had given birth to her fourth child over the summer and Emily had instantly fallen in love with the baby, if her letters were anything to go by.

"Oh, she's wonderful," Emily cooed. "She cried her eyes out yesterday when I had to leave for school. It was so sweet."

"Yes, I can imagine," Narcissa replied dryly. "I suppose your mother was happy to get so much help from you over the summer?"

"Yes, she was," Emily replied. "She didn't want the house elves looking after her. She read that it can stunt a child's emotional and mental development to leave a baby in the hands of a house elf, I mean, they aren't exactly the smartest of creatures are they?"

Narcissa shook her head. "Hardly," she replied.

"Exactly," Emily said with a nod of her head. "Though I don't know how she's going to cope. Father's work keeps him very busy and with all the charities Mother attends and the lunches… Well, I think it's going to be a very tiring time for her."

"Maybe she'll drop some of the charities?" Narcissa said with a delicate shrug.

"Oh no," Emily exclaimed. "She couldn't possibly do that. Father needs those contacts for business, never mind how it would look to people."

Such was the life of a pureblood witch. It wasn't unheard of for a married witch to have a good job, not at all, but Narcissa couldn't name one witch in her family's circle of friends who did. Once they were married they were expected to run the household and raise the children. Not that a witch's days weren't filled; as Emily had said, there were always business contacts to maintain for their husband.

"I wonder where Elizabeth is," Narcissa said casually. "What lesson did she just have?"

"What?" Emily said, her attention wandering to the boys again. After Narcissa repeated her question she replied, "Ancient Runes…I think. Yes, I'm sure that's it, because she kept talking about how jealous you were going to be because _she_ was the one who had a lesson with Lucius and not you."

"How ridiculous," Narcissa exclaimed. "The fact that she thinks that I would care that she was in the same room as him makes no sense at all. It's absurd!"

"Yes, completely," she agreed with a smile. "It's absurd."

Narcissa turned away, not wanting to see the knowing smile on Emily's face; she was being ridiculous. Narcissa knew for a fact that she did not have feelings for Lucius; after all she was the one having them… or not having them, in this case. Though, now she thought on it, denying feeling anything for him was only pushing her friends into believing that she was violently in love with him. Perhaps it would be better to say nothing at all. She would let her friends think what they would and if gossip reached Lucius, then perhaps that would be for the better. If he had some small encouragement, then it would keep him away from other girls. As for herself…well, she would continue to keep him at an arms length with only smiles to encourage him.

Narcissa turned back to Emily only to see her smiling dazzlingly at the tallest of the Hufflepuff boys, practically beckoning him over with her eyes. Narcissa shook her head. Emily was a good friend but sometimes she wondered if all she thought about were boys and love; she seemed to make it her life's work to flirt with every man who crossed her path, so long as they weren't Mudbloods, of course.

Narcissa stood. "I'm going to make my way inside now," she said. "Lessons will be starting soon."

"Do you want me to walk with you?" Emily asked. "I have a free period next, so it won't be any bother."

She was still staring at the tall, dark haired Hufflepuff so Narcissa politely declined, saying she wanted a few moments to clear her head. Emily didn't argue and settled more comfortably against the tree.

Upon entering the castle, Narcissa passed by Andrew Boot who was talking with the Arithmancy professor. Their fathers were old school friends, so she smiled in greeting when he looked over and then continued on her way. She was surprised when he caught up with her moments later at the foot of the stairs.

"Narcissa," he said, brushing her elbow with his fingertips to stall her. "How are you?"

Narcissa, rather thrown that he would be speaking to her, had to pause. It wasn't that they had never spoken or that they didn't know each other, it was just that she saw no reason why he would _run_ to catch up with her. However, gathering her wits, she responded, "I'm fine, thank you, and yourself?"

"Oh, I'm fine too," he replied, brushing his hands down the front of his robes self-consciously.

Narcissa caught sight of his Head Boy badge gleaming on his chest. "Oh, of course," she said, "congratulations on becoming Head Boy."

"Thank you. It was quite a surprise when I received my Hogwarts letter in the summer," he replied with a smile.

"I'm sure it wasn't. We all knew that Dumbledore would choose you; you were the best candidate."

Andrew averted his eyes, seemingly embarrassed by her compliment. Narcissa almost frowned, wondering what could have caused this strange behaviour.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't make it to your sister's wedding in the summer," Andrew said quickly, looking up. "My parents said that it was a wonderful affair and I would have liked to have come but my uncle took me to Egypt to help him in the tombs and it was too good an opportunity to miss."

"Oh, that's quite alright," Narcissa replied. At least that explained why he was acting strangely. He was probably just embarrassed to have missed the social event of the season. Though it probably would have been more polite to write to Bella or her parents rather than accost her in a hallway, making her late for her Transfiguration lesson. Besides, it wasn't as though Narcissa had missed him at the wedding.

She looked at her watch. "I don't mean to be rude, but I have a lesson to get to."

"Of course you do, I'm sorry to keep you standing here all day," he said. "I'll walk you to it. Then, if your professor complains, I can say that I held you up." He finished with a wink.

"What about your lesson? Won't your professor mind?"

"I'll just tell Slughorn I was helping a younger student find her class. And if he assumes that it was a first year, so be it," Andrew said with a rueful grin.

Narcissa laughed. "Well, since you have everything planned out, I can hardly refuse, can I?"

"No," he agreed. "You can't." They started off down the corridor together, and Andrew paused before saying, "I was disappointed that you weren't prefect this year."

"You were?" Narcissa asked, surprised. "Why?"

"Well… I thought you'd be a good prefect. You're certainly popular in Slytherin, and outside of it."

"I'm flattered that you'd think I'd be a good prefect," Narcissa replied, trailing her hand along the banister. "But Catherine is doing too well to be replaced, and I'm not sure I'd want to do it anyway. I don't think I'd have the time."

Andrew nodded. "It does take up a bit of time, but you learn to manage. Besides, it's not really hard, so it gives you a lot of time to think. I plan most of my essays while patrolling the corridors at night."

"Really?" Narcissa replied, feigning interest.

"Yes, it does get a bit tedious, wandering the same halls, searching for students sneaking around on midnight trysts and whatnot." He ducked his head down and cleared his throat. "But I'm afraid I'm boring you, what do you care about prefect duties? What else did you do during the summer, other than your sister's wedding?"

"Well there was so much to plan that we didn't get the chance to go away somewhere, but we were kept busy enough with the summer parties," she replied. "Were you at the Smith's garden party?"

"Yes, yes, I was. It was the last one I attended before going to Egypt," Andrew said. "I saw you with your sisters; you looked very beautiful."

Narcissa ignored the compliment; she didn't want to appear vain. Her mother had once told her that vanity was unbecoming in a young woman. "You should have come over and spoken with us."

"I would have but Andromeda looked rather out of sorts," he replied. "I didn't want to intrude."

Had Andromeda's sudden depression started that early in the summer, then? How could she not have spotted it? Was she so wrapped up in plans for Bella's wedding that she failed to notice Andromeda's sadness when it was so apparent to a stranger?

Narcissa glanced over at Andrew and watched him push a lock of jet-black hair away from his face. He saw her looking and smiled before lowering his gaze again. She wished he would stop doing that; it was becoming rather annoying.

They walked a little way in silence, their steps becoming more hurried as the noise around them diminished. She had always been a very punctual girl, yet today, she had hardly cared when she breezed in just as the bell rang for Charms and now she was meandering down the corridors already late. She mused that someone must have spiked her pumpkin juice this morning.

"We really should hurry," Narcissa said, breaking the silence. "You go to your lesson, I can walk from here."

"And leave you to face McGonagall alone? Never," he replied. "I made you late so I will walk you the rest of the way. Besides, we're nearly there now."

"What about Slughorn?"

"What's the good of being Head Boy if you can't get away with a few misdemeanours?"

Narcissa laughed and it echoed along the corridor, causing her to raise her hand to dampen the sound. "I think you should have been in Slytherin, with thoughts like that," she said.

"Maybe I would have done well in Slytherin," Andrew admitted. "Maybe I would have found what I wanted there."

Narcissa frowned slightly at his cryptic answer, but had no time to question it as they had arrived at the classroom. Andrew knocked politely and entered the room, Narcissa following him.

"Miss Black," McGonagall said sharply. "I was wondering when you'd join us."

Narcissa flushed from embarrassment and hastily moved to an empty seat in the front row. Andrew, however, true to his word, was offered his apologies for her. "I'm afraid it was entirely my fault, Professor," he said, a look of sincerity in his blue eyes. "I had to discuss something with Narcissa and made her late. I apologise."

"Well…try not to let it happen again," McGonagall said stiffly, turning back to the class to resume her lesson.

The Head Boy gave Narcissa one last smile before exiting the room. He would have to practically run to make it down to the dungeons at a reasonable time.

At the back of the classroom, Catherine Borgin eyed her friend of six years with a wary eye. To someone who didn't know Lucius Malfoy well, he would appear completely focussed on the lesson. Catherine, however, could detect the signs of unease though; a tightening of the jaw and eyes as hard as flint, as though he were _forcing_ himself not to look in the direction he most wanted to.

She was worried. Though she had teased him in the common room about Narcissa, she hadn't really thought it was true. He seemed quite possessive of her and she wasn't even his yet. As far as she could tell, Narcissa didn't see him as anything more than a friend, and not a particularly close one at that. And there was the strange urgency that Lucius had about getting her that Catherine didn't understand. She had seen him pursue many girls; taking his time with each, waiting until they were besotted with him so he could do as he wished. This was different, and she couldn't figure out why. And why was Narcissa always the object of not only his attention, but Augustus' too?

She shot a look at Augustus who was sitting on the other side of Lucius. He caught her eye and half shrugged, as though he had no idea why Lucius was practically stabbing his parchment with his quill. She didn't believe it, not for a second. There was some great secret that she had been kept out of.

But why?

Lucius had never been more relieved than when the bell rang for the end of Transfiguration class. He hurried from the room, not bothering to wait for Catherine or Augustus, and certainly not to walk Narcissa to lunch, which had been his plan this morning. Quickly finding an unused classroom, he threw his bag down on the floor and began pacing the floor.

How could things go so spectacularly wrong in the space of an hour?

The plan had been going fine at breakfast; he and Narcissa had been getting along well. The gentle approach had been working. He had gotten her to talk about her interests and getting her to agree to read his fortune privately had been a stroke of genius. It had been going perfectly. And then she arrives at Transfiguration on the arm of that goody-two-shoes, all flushed and … _smiley._

She had never been like that when she was with him. No, it was all ice and politeness. Well, except at her sister's wedding, when he'd _finally_ gotten her alone. And she still pushed him away! He, Lucius Malfoy!

He had thought that he had been quite obvious with his intentions. She must have known that he was after more than friendship. He had told her himself on their first meeting of the summer! Coming in to a lesson she _knew _they shared with Boot…and late, even! She should have known it would provoke a reaction. How tactless, how _stupid_. And then Lucius stopped suddenly. Of course, he thought triumphantly. She was _trying_ to get a reaction. He wondered why he hadn't realised it before. She was a woman, after all, they were very simple creatures, the only way they could think to get a man would be to try and make him jealous. It had all been staged.

He laughed. Narcissa must be in the Great Hall right now, gossiping with her friends over her supposed victory. Well, it would be short lived, for he would go down there and make her regret the day she thought she could get the better of him. He would make her pay.

His hand stilled as he reached for the doorknob. He couldn't insult her too much. He still needed her. But he could teach her a lesson. He would show her that her pathetic witch's tricks do not work on him. He would go down and be as pleasant and courteous as always, but he would be equally _nice_ to one of her friends. Show her what it's like. Her friend Elizabeth would do, he decided; she was less annoying than the other one.

He picked up his bag and smoothed his robes down, and, with a determined air, exited the room and strode down the corridors to the Great Hall.

At the Slytherin table there was a seat free next to Augustus, and luckily opposite Narcissa and her friends. Luck was on his side. He'd soon show her that he was not to be made a fool of. It was better she learnt this now.

Narcissa smiled at him when he sat down and continued her conversation with Walden. Without missing a beat, Lucius turned to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, did you have a good summer?"

"Yes," she replied, turning away from Emily. "I went to Italy with my parents for two weeks."

"Did you go to Rome?" Lucius asked and when she nodded continued, "It's an amazing city, isn't it? The architecture is remarkable."

"Oh yes," Elizabeth replied. "And the wizarding quarter is so much more diverse than the British one. Diagon Alley seems to plain and boring when you've seen the sights of Rome. Did you know that there are over ten thousand individual charms at place to keep it secret from the Muggles?"

"How fascinating," Lucius replied with false enthusiasm. He cast a covert look at Narcissa and saw her pause in her conversation to Walden. His plan was working. Now he just had to really stick the knife in. He leant forwards slightly over the table and said in a lower voice (though not so low that Narcissa couldn't hear), "If you loved Rome then you should come out and stay with my family one summer. We have a house a few miles away from the city. It's really a beautiful place; you'd be _more_ than welcome."

Elizabeth smiled broadly at him and assured him that she'd love to visit his house in the summer. But he was barely listening; Narcissa had almost choked on her pumpkin juice.

Narcissa waited impatiently outside the Great Hall for Sirius. She had insisted this morning that he hurry with his dinner so that they could go see the Headmaster and straighten this unfortunate affair out. As soon as the Headmaster had left, Narcissa had stood and, with a firm nod at Sirius, left the hall. She had assumed he understood and would follow her directly, but already she had been waiting for five minutes.

She was already in a bad mood and to be kept waiting by an eleven year old wasn't helping.

Lucius had been acting rather strangely since lunchtime. He was pleasant to her, of course, but it seemed to be forced. He obviously took no pleasure in talking to her. She had thought that perhaps he had some bad news from home or something, but he had been animated with everyone else, especially Elizabeth.

At first she had assumed she was being paranoid, but even Emily had picked up on it. She almost felt insulted; he was supposed to be wooing her, not entertaining her friends. Narcissa had acted as though nothing was wrong, as if it didn't bother her. But it did.

She sighed. It wasn't as though she actually could do anything about it anyway. To the outside world, she should show Lucius no favour. He hadn't worked nearly hard enough to win her yet, and after today's behaviour he was going to have to make it up to her somehow.

Professor McGonagall walked by and Narcissa blushed and lowered her gaze to the floor. McGonagall had held Narcissa back after class and said that even though it was the first day, she shouldn't expect to get away with lateness, and to come five minutes late to a lesson was _really _pushing it.

"By all rights," she had said sternly, "I should give you a detention, but I'm only going to take five points from Slytherin, as a warning. You're usually such a punctual student so it's a shame that we have to start off the year this way."

Narcissa hadn't been reprimanded by a professor since her fourth year when she'd slapped Robert Parker across the face for daring to touch her with his filthy Muggle hands. She hadn't realised that Dumbledore was watching a short distance away. And she couldn't tell him why she had overreacted (her parents had always been very clear on that) so she had simply said that Parker had startled her.

He had given her a very long look that clearly said he didn't believe a word of it, but after a few stern words about 'keeping her hands to herself' he had walked away. He hadn't even taken points and she had hit someone, and one of his favourites at that.

She looked over at the doors leading to the Great Hall, hearing them open, but it was only Walden.

"What are you standing out here for?" he asked.

"I'm waiting for my cousin," she replied. "I need to sort this whole mess out."

"What, you mean his being in Gryffindor?" Walden asked, chuckling. "Are you actually going to march into Dumbledore's office and demand a resorting?"

"Of course," she replied. "Why shouldn't I? There's obviously been some terrible mistake."

Walden shook his head. "Only a Black would be so stubborn," he said, not quite low enough for Narcissa not to hear. He paused, as though deliberating what to say. He settled for wishing her good luck and walking away towards the dungeons. Narcissa stared after him, wondering why everyone was acting so strangely around her today.

Finally Sirius exited the Great Hall and approached her. "What do you want, Narcissa?" he asked sullenly and she was shocked by his rudeness. After only a day of being in Gryffindor he had forgotten his manners.

"We are going to see the Headmaster immediately," she replied and began hurrying down the corridor. Every second he was in red and gold was bringing him one step closer to ruin. He was becoming as coarse as a Mudblood.

"What's the rush?" Sirius asked when he had caught up. "The Headmaster will still be here tomorrow. Why are we going to see him anyway? What's this all about?"

"You," Narcissa replied. "You can't be a Gryffindor. I won't have it."

"What has my House got to do with you?"

Narcissa stopped. "It has everything to do with me. I'm your cousin."

"So?" Sirius asked, continuing in this annoying vein of questions. "I'm the one who has to live in Gryffindor, not you."

"Thank Merlin for that," Narcissa said. "Don't you see what you've done? You've ruined a centuries-long tradition. I don't know what your mother must be thinking; she must be so embarrassed."

"Well maybe I'll get lucky and the shock will put her in an early grave," Sirius replied, snickering.

"How can you say that? She's your mother."

"She's a right old -" Sirius began but was interrupted by a coughing noise.

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything."

"Not at all, Professor," Narcissa replied calmly. "We were just on our way to see you."

"Then it is fortunate that I was walking this way because I've saved you the journey," he replied. "What can I do for you?"

Narcissa had the feeling he already knew what she was going to say and wondered why they had to continue this charade. "Well," she said, "it must be obvious to everyone that there's been a terrible mistake."

Dumbledore nodded once, his eyes not leaving Narcissa's face. "A mistake?" he asked calmly.

"Yes," Narcissa continued. "Sirius was clearly put in the wrong House. He should be in Slytherin. I think he should be resorted."

"But I don't _want_ to be put in Slytherin," Sirius whined. "I like Gryffindor. People actually laugh there."

"Sirius, be quiet," Narcissa said sharply while Dumbledore chuckled. "You're just a child; you don't know what's best."

"Unfortunately, Miss Black, we are not in the habit of resorting students," Dumbledore said.

"Well, surely if there are special circumstances…"

"Ah yes, if there were special circumstances then I would definitely consider it. But, in this case there are none." When Narcissa opened her mouth to argue that there were special circumstances, that Sirius was ruining her family name, he turned away from her and addressed Sirius. "Mr Black," he said, earning a wry smile from Sirius, "are you happy in Gryffindor? Do you want to be resorted?"

"No," Sirius replied, a grin engulfing his whole face. "I'm happy as I am. I don't want to change Houses. Especially not to go to boring old Slytherin," he added, casting a sly look at Narcissa.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Well that settles it."

"But…I was supposed to keep an eye on him," Narcissa protested.

"Well I'm sure with relatives as close as you two, it wouldn't be too much bother to keep an eye on him whether he be in Gryffindor or Slytherin," Dumbledore replied. He turned back to her cousin. "Mr Black, why don't you head to your common room? I'm sure your friends will be wondering where you are."

Sirius bid the Headmaster a goodnight and, with another cocky smile at Narcissa, sauntered off down the corridor. Sometimes she really hated that boy.

Back in the common room, Lucius was playing a game of wizards' chess with Elizabeth. She had offered and he had nothing better to do, though now he wished he hadn't bothered. Elizabeth was an awful player, and the entertainment was not improved by his ability to win in only a few moves or by her complaining. The only reason he was still putting up with it was because Narcissa had yet to arrive back and he was only doing all of this for her benefit.

They'd begun the third game when Walden approached. "Lucius, I need to have a word," he said gravely.

"We're in the middle of a game," Elizabeth whined.

"Yes, can't it wait?" Lucius replied.

"No, I'm afraid not," Walden said. "It is something of importance."

"Oh very well then," Lucius said, standing. "We'll have to continue this another day, Elizabeth."

"I look forward to it," she replied, moving to sit by the fire with Harmony Parkinson and her gang of girls.

Walden led Lucius into a quiet area of the common room. "Normally I wouldn't bother myself with how you behave," he said, "but in this case I feel a warning is needed."

"What are you talking about?" Lucius asked sharply.

"You and that girl Elizabeth," Walden replied. "I'm not quite sure what you're trying to do. I thought you wanted to marry Narcissa, and yet you flirt with one of her best friends right in front of her."

Lucius smiled smugly. "It worked though didn't it? It got her attention and taught her a lesson. Teach her to try to make a fool out of me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Earlier today she was out roaming the corridors with our _esteemed_ Head Boy, Andrew Boot. Then she comes into Transfiguration, five minutes late and practically hanging off of him."

Walden frowned. That didn't seem like something Narcissa would do. He'd known her for years and had never known her to act so shameless. In fact, he was fairly sure that Lucius must be the only man to even get close to her. And yet, the tone of bitterness in Lucius' voice… he wasn't lying, but could he have misread something?

"So you did this to get back at her?" he asked.

"Exactly," Lucius said triumphantly. "She won't treat me like a fool. I won't play her petty jealousy games."

Walden decided it would be better not to state the irony in that sentence, not when his friend was in this mood. "I'll ask a few people if they know anything about Narcissa and Boot. As far as I know there's nothing going on, but I'll check." And perhaps he would even speak to Narcissa, see if her behaviour had been intentional, though he suspected that it hadn't.

"But I don't think your approach was the best one," Walden continued. "If you really want to win Narcissa, you're going to have to be smarter than that. Getting upset and taking it out on her is just making your position worse. And I'm sure your father wouldn't be pleased if after only a day back at school, she's refusing to speak to you."

Walden had a point. Damn him. "You're right, as usual," Lucius replied. "I'm going to go to bed. It's been a long day."

Walden bid Lucius goodnight and walked over to the fireplace. He had a feeling it was going to be an interesting year. So much had already happened, and the first day had barely ended. That was what he loved about Hogwarts and Slytherin in particular: there was always something happening.

As he sat down by the Slytherin Team Quidditch Captain to discuss training, Narcissa's other friend, Emily-something, caught his eye and smiled. Yes, it was definitely going to be an interesting year.

------

A/N - Sorry for the long delay in posting this, there's no excuse really apart from sheer laziness of getting it finished. I will _try_ to do the chapters a bit quicker but there's no promises. Chapter 7 is on it's way and provided I get past the first little hump it should be coming a bit quicker... maybe.

Until next time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Over the next few weeks, Lucius had stuck rigidly to his plan. He took things slowly with Narcissa and there had been no more hiccups in their relationship. According to Walden, Narcissa had no idea of Boot's partiality and as far as he knew, there was no more contact between Narcissa and Boot. Apparently his warning to her had worked. Things were finally going his way.

That was until he received a letter from his father.

Correspondence between father and son had always been infrequent. Lucius would write once a week to his mother and she would relay anything of importance. Sometimes she would mention that his father was pleased with his schoolwork or congratulate him for his participation in a Quidditch match. But it was very rare that his father would actually write to him personally; it didn't bother Lucius, it was just how things were.

However, his father had written to hurry his plans along. Apparently they were having a New Year's party this year (which surprised Lucius as his father had never shown any signs of wanting to mingle with other families – unless it benefited him in some way) and Abraxas wanted the Black family to attend.

_While I'm sure that they would accept the invitation regardless, it could not hurt if an alliance between our two great families were more apparent. I hope that by the Christmas holidays you were firmly in her and her family's favour, before any outside interference occurs._

Even if his father hadn't written to him, he was already planning on increasing his attentions towards Narcissa. There was a Hogsmeade visit that weekend and he and Narcissa could spend the whole day together. At least that's what he intended. But when he asked her, she had apologised and said she had plans to meet her sister, Bellatrix.

"But," she continued, "I can see you afterwards. She said that she could only stay until two o'clock."

He did, however, walk to Hogsmeade with her, admittedly her friends and his walked with them, but for much of the journey they lagged behind and were alone. It had turned quite cold and windy over the last few days and heavy black clouds hung threateningly overhead. Lucius wrapped his cloak more tightly around himself and hoped it wouldn't rain.

"It's funny how quickly time goes by," Narcissa commented. "It feels like we've only been back a few days and yet it's halfway through October already. Soon it'll be Halloween and then the Christmas holidays."

"You're forgetting the most important date before that," Lucius said. She looked at him expectantly. "The Slytherin-Gryffindor match."

Narcissa laughed. "Of course, how could I forget _that_? It's been the only topic of discussion since school started."

"You're not a Quidditch fan then?"

"Oh I like Quidditch well enough," she replied. "But I'm getting rather tired of hearing about little else."

There was a pause in the conversation as Lucius tried to think of a common topic of interest. "I had thought you were hinting at your birthday," Narcissa said eventually, a slight smile on her face.

"Well, yes there's that too," he replied. "I'll be expecting a very good present from you this year, Miss Black," he added.

"Are you?" Narcissa said, turning to look at him. "Then perhaps you'd better tell me what you desire? I wouldn't want to disappoint you."

Lucius nearly stopped in his tracks. She was definitely trying to flirt with him, though her eyes showed some uncertainty. He decided to press his advantage; it was time for the next stage in the game.

"I can think of a few things," he replied, his voice low.

She glanced away, a slight blush covering her cheeks. "I'm sure you could think of _many_ things," she said, looking up again. "But even you cannot have everything."

They had fallen quite far behind now and the road to Hogsmeade was empty. This would be the perfect opportunity to prove once and for all that Lucius Malfoy always gets what he wants. But he didn't want to scare her; there would be plenty of time for all of that later. Instead he shrugged and said, in a slightly wistful tone, "It never hurts to ask."

Narcissa laughed, shaking her head slightly. "No, I suppose it doesn't hurt to _ask_," she replied.

"If you never ask, you'll never get," Lucius added sagely. He didn't miss the way she rolled her eyes mockingly at his tone. He cleared his throat, and enquired after her sister's honeymoon.

"Oh yes, they had a marvellous time, if her letters were anything to go by," Narcissa replied with a smile.

"Did she write pages and pages raving about how happy and in love she was," Lucius asked in a playful tone.

Narcissa shook her head. "Not at all," she said. "I didn't receive a single letter."

Lucius frowned. "But then how do you know she had a good time?"

"I would have been concerned if Bellatrix _did_ write to me frequently while she was away, she rarely writes and when she does it consists of little more than a few lines saying she is happy and that she misses you. When she writes long passages it's usually because something is wrong. If she doesn't write at all then she is so blissfully happy that there aren't even words to describe it," Narcissa explained. "Therefore, not to receive a single letter for the month she was away is no worrying thing."

"And you, are you the same?"

Narcissa shrugged delicately. "I always try to keep my parents and friends informed. I have never been in a situation where I haven't written due to such delight that drives all thoughts of others away. Perhaps when such a time occurs we can see and you can truly see my character."

"So you are not ecstatically happy to be back at Hogwarts then?" Lucius asked in a teasing tone. "Not in raptures of being with your friends again and staying up half the night gossiping and giggling?"

Narcissa laughed and shook her head. "I find that when I am at home I miss school and when I am at school I miss home. Both are completely different so it is hard to judge one being better than the other. And yourself, which do you prefer?"

Lucius paused and thought for a moment. "I suppose I am much like yourself. If there a way of incorporating the best of both then I would die a happy man. For example, if I could have the freedoms of home, but the pleasure of your company on a daily basis, well, I would want for nothing."

"And is that all you desire in life?" Narcissa asked, her blue eyes staring directly into his. "The freedom to do as you wish and… me?"

"I think a man could be quite happy if he had a lady such as you by his side," he replied in a sincere voice.

Narcissa inclined her head at the compliment before turning away. They were nearly at Hogsmeade now and the rest of the journey was spent in silence, each left alone to their thoughts. Narcissa was considering if his words were truly sincere and whether it was almost time to show him more encouragement. After all, the party season would soon be here and she would look even better if she were on his arm. The Macnairs were sure to have a gathering on Christmas Eve, not to mention the Parkinsons masquerade ball in the early New Year. Attending all the functions with Lucius at her side could only mean good things for her family. The Malfoys are very rich and powerful after all…

Lucius, however was ruminating on less delicate matters, such as exactly how much more compliments he would have to dish out before she finally showed him some favour. Time was going by rather quickly and she still seemed to be impervious to his compliments. There was only so much more he could do in this stage in the game. Once he got to the next one…well, that was where the fun began and he hadn't yet met a woman alive he could resist him and his sweet tricks.

However, he was considering that today seemed to be going well. He had taken an interest in her and her family, managed to extract some light flirting from her and had her pretty much to himself for the walk down. If only he could have the rest of the day without interruption, he was sure that if that were the case she would be eating out of his hand by nightfall. But she had stupidly made plans with her sister and he was sure that by the time he saw her again; all his work of the morning will have been for nothing. But he did like a challenge and Narcissa certainly was that… if only the hard work would soon come to an end.

When they reached Hogsmeade the couple parted ways. Lucius went towards his friends who he knew would be waiting in the Hogs Head and Narcissa to the other pub, the Three Broomsticks where she was to lunch with her sister.

The pub was busy when Narcissa entered, but she had been expecting that and was glad that her sister had arrived early to get a table. She was over on the table in the corner, which had once been where she had prevailed over the Slytherin court when she was at school. A layered drink of deep ruby and purple was in front of her and something far more modest for Narcissa was waiting.

The two sisters greeted each other warmly, having not been together for over a month. Bella wasted no time telling Narcissa (sometimes in blushingly great detail) what she had done on her honeymoon. By the time she had finished, over an hour had passed and Bellatrix's third drink was running low.

"But enough about me, how are you Narcissa? How goes your plans for matrimony?"

"For Merlin's sake lower your voice," Narcissa said sharply.

Bella laughed. "So he's not yet thrown himself on bended knee? Poor Cissy, I had higher expectations of you."

Bella could be rather grating when she was in this kind of mood, Narcissa remembered. It had been a rather long time since it had been directed her way. Wiping away all signs of annoyance from her face, Narcissa replied, "Everything's going as planned, Bella. There's no need for you to worry about me." Silence lapsed for a few moments before Narcissa enquired after Andromeda and if she was any better since the summer.

The question clearly threw Bellatrix. "What do you mean have her spirits lifted?"

"Didn't you notice how out of sorts she was?"

Bellatrix scoffed. "Andromeda's always out of sorts. She must be sick in the head if she thinks that a Mudblood is worthy of being Minister. You should have heard her the other night at dinner. Rodolphus just happened to mention that a Mudblood approached him in Diagon Alley to congratulate him on his marriage (as if the opinion of one of _their_ _kind _was needed) and mother mentioned that in the good old days a Mudblood wouldn't have dared speak to a Pureblood in such a familiar fashion, if at all. Well, Andromeda starting ranting and raving about how he was only being polite and how we were all close minded and prejudiced."

Narcissa sighed. Andromeda was becoming quite a pain at times. She could only imagine what her mother's response was. At least this time her only audience was her family, but what would happen during the Christmas holidays? The family could be out nearly every night of the week during the party season and Andromeda seemed to find it difficult to go more than a few hours without making her opinion known these days. And while the guests had found it amusing at Bella's wedding, Narcissa was sure they would not find it nearly so entertaining a second time. And what would Lucius' family think, having a sister expose herself to ridicule at every opportunity? She couldn't bear to think of it; even now a slight blush stole across her cheeks at the formal Mr Malfoy's judgement of her and her whole family. She wondered if it would be possible for her father to have a talk with Andromeda, remind her of her station in life and how to behave properly in public?

Bellatrix distracted Narcissa from her thoughts by saying, "I wish Andromeda would stop all this Mudblood nonsense. It's becoming quite tiresome, particularly in the current climate."

"The current climate?" Narcissa questioned.

Bellatrix smiled, though it was not a nice smile, the strange look of exhilaration that lit up her eyes took Narcissa's breath away. "Oh Cissy," she exclaimed, "I've met the most wonderful man!"

"Bellatrix," Narcissa admonished, "you are a married woman!"

"No, no," her sister replied, shaking her head. "It's nothing like that… If only I could explain. You have to meet him to truly understand. He's the most powerful wizard I've ever met. As soon as you walk into a room with him… you _feel_ it. He's going to help us Cissy, he's going to change the world."

"Oh?" Narcissa replied. "And how is he going to do that? The next election isn't for another four years and he'd have to work his way up in the Ministry before he would even be considered…"

"Don't display your ignorance," Bellatrix snapped, causing Narcissa to shrink back in alarm. "There are other ways to gain power in the world when you are as captivating as he. He's a visionary, and the world will crumble before him. We will be restored to our former glory and when we mention Mudbloods it will only be in the sense of remembering a bad dream."

"But who is he? You've never even mentioned his name."

"Watch out for the front page this week," Bellatrix replied, smiling again. "I'm sure all your questions will be answered."

They talked of other, less interesting things until Bellatrix declared that she had better be leaving, she had things to prepare. Narcissa was itching to ask her more questions but dared not. There was something about her sister that worried her today; the strange light in her eyes when she talked of this man, the way she had snapped at her… it was all very strange.

When Lucius met up with her only minutes after Bellatrix's departure, he immediately noticed something different about her. She seemed distracted and worried about something, though she never even hinted at what it could be. She seemed to have no desire to stay in Hogsmeade or its surrounds, so Lucius suggested they walk back to school and sit by the fire in common room as the weather didn't seem to be getting any better and pouring rain seemed imminent. Narcissa agreed, though without much enthusiasm.

They walked up the road from Hogsmeade and for the first part this was spent in silence as Lucius made the mistake of asking Narcissa how her sister was, provoking a monosyllabic answer and a shrug, followed by a long pause while she fretted internally. In desperation he asked how she was getting on with the essay McGonagall had set them. And surprisingly this was just what Narcissa needed to distract her from her thoughts and the rest of the walk up the road from Hogsmeade was spent in more animation. Although this brought the more uncomfortable realisation that Narcissa was probably better than him at Transfiguration. She had already finished an essay that he was struggling with (he told himself this was only because he hadn't had time due to Quidditch practice) and had even gone on further.

"If you want, I could help you," she suggested. "We could study together one night this week..."

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that he didn't _need_ her help or her pity. Who did she think she was, thinking that he couldn't manage one essay by himself? He was Lucius Malfoy!

"…alone."

Oh. Well now _that_ was a different matter entirely. "Miss Black, I would be honoured," he replied, bowing his head slightly. "And perhaps you could also fulfil your promise to me?" Narcissa looked at him in surprise. "I believe you said you would read my fortune?"

"And are you concerned about the future, Lucius?"

"Only if you are in it, my dear," he replied automatically, watching with satisfaction as she smiled and turned away.

The wind was picking up, causing the hems of Lucius' cloak to swirl about his legs and almost trip him up. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Narcissa was also struggling against the strong winds and her attire - worn more for fashion than comfort - didn't seem to be helping her to fight the cold. However, she was too proud to admit that she was freezing. That was the problem with women, Lucius thought, always refusing to ask for help.

"Narcissa, are you sure you're warm enough?" Lucius asked. "May I offer you my cloak?"

"No, thank you Lucius. I'm perfectly fine," she replied, trying to suppress another shiver.

Lucius rolled his eyes and removed his cloak anyway. Pulling her to a stop he swung the cloak around her. "Better?" he asked, his hands resting on her upper arms.

"I… yes, thank you," Narcissa replied softly, keeping her face turned away. As soon as he stepped closer to her and drew himself around her she had felt herself transported back to her sister's wedding, walking in the gardens under the tall pine trees. She didn't want to look up at him, she _couldn't_ look up at him lest he realise what power he had over her when he held her close.

She felt his hand move from her arm and up, moving slowly up her shoulder and onto her neck, where it paused to trace nonsensical patterns into her skin. She shuddered. This was madness. This wasn't supposed to happen; she was supposed to be in control. She was supposed to be the one to turn _him_ weak!

Lucius smirked to himself when he felt her shiver beneath his touch. He would have to remember that her neck was so sensitive. It could prove to be a _very_ interesting discovery later. His smirk grew wider when he realised that those sorts of enchantments could come in to play very soon now.

She looked up at him and he instantly wiped the smile away, schooling his face into a look of yearning. Lucius drew her closer to him, so their whole bodies where touching, from hip to heart. He felt her chest rise as she took in another shuddering breath, but for once she didn't push him away, nor did she turn her face and mutter some half hearted protest. And yet he felt as though one wrong move, one sudden movement, and she would flee. He could feel the tension in her body; she was poised to turn tail and run for safety, but for the moment she stared up at him, regarding him with her blue eyes. Waiting.

"Narcissa," he said softly, brushing his hand across her cheek. She leant into his touch and let out a breathy sigh, "Oh Lucius."

Inwardly congratulating himself, Lucius bent his head towards hers. Here was his chance; he had her exactly where he wanted her, soft and yielding in his arms. She was his.

Suddenly, an ominous rumble sounded from overhead, followed immediately by large drops of rain all around them. The spell broken, Narcissa blinked and stepped back, automatically straightening her robes though they hadn't been altered at all.

Lucius cleared his throat and she looked up at him. Without a cloak, he was getting rather wet in the rain; already he could feel it working its way towards his skin. He offered her his arm. "Shall we hurry out of the rain, Narcissa, before we get wetter than we need to?" She nodded and slipped her arm through his.

They hurried along the path, half running towards the school, which was steadily getting nearer. Unfortunately, not quick enough as the rain came down harder and harder, claps of thunder roaring above them. When had the sky turned so dark? Lucius cursed his luck that it should rain so suddenly and so violently. There was nothing he hated more than being completely soaked.

Then suddenly, Narcissa slipped on a loose stone in the path, her feet completely sliding out from underneath her and pulling Lucius down with her. They landed with a splash and thump in a heap on the wet ground, their legs twisted around the others. Lucius cursed his stupidity for making her run. Of course she was going to slip in those ridiculous shoes.

He turned to look at her and was shocked to see her head bent away from him and her shoulders shaking. Was she _crying_? It couldn't have hurt that much, thought Lucius, who was used to knocks and bruises from Quidditch playing and conveniently forgot that Narcissa was _not_.

"Narcissa?" he said gently. "Are you alright?"

She let out a gasp, which only made Lucius more alarmed. What if she were badly hurt? He could just imagine his father's reaction. "How is it Lucius, that after only one outing with Miss Black, you managed to _damage_ her?" Which he was sure would be nothing to what _her_ family would say about it and what the rest of the school would think. His reputation would be ruined.

"Narcissa," he tried again. "Are you hurt? Answer me!"

Finally she lifted her head up and he saw that she was not crying but _laughing_. She had been laughing and trying to hide it. Lucius was more puzzled than ever.

"I'm sorry Lucius," Narcissa managed. "But it was just so funny. One moment there we are, walking along and the next we're in a heap on the floor."

Lucius frowned. He saw nothing funny about it; just two people on the floor getting wetter. Women are mad. He clambered to his feet and offered his hand out to her and she took it gratefully, still holding back laughter.

They took it at a much slower pace from then on, carefully avoiding the many puddles that were forming along the path. And eventually they made it back to the school. Both of them soaking wet, but Narcissa in surprisingly high spirits.

The entrance hall was empty bar the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw ghosts, who simply looked over at them in their dishevelled state and then glided away through the wall.

Lucius turned to her. "One day, Miss Black," he said formally, "you will have to tell what it is about falling down in the rain and getting soaked to the skin that is so amusing to you."

Narcissa smiled. "Perhaps," she replied. "Perhaps one day I _may_, if you are very lucky."

Lucius stared at her, more baffled than ever. "Come," Narcissa said, once again a Black, rather than a giggling first year. "Let's go down to the dungeons and get a change of clothes before we catch colds." And with that she swept off down the hall, leaving Lucius in her wake.

~*~

Elsewhere in London, before a roaring fire a figured paced up and down across the expensive silk rug, neither noticing nor caring for the finery around him which his father's money afforded him. Sebastian Merteuil picked up the letter and read its contents again.

_Lucius and Narcissa are getting closer, her cool demeanour seems to be melting and she seems almost… happy in his company these days. They are spending the day together in Hogsmeade today and who knows what will happen between them? Lucius can be very demanding and with no one around to protect her she may find his charms irresistible as many a woman before him has. I suggest you act quicker or you may find that your prize is tarnished._

Cursing, he balled the parchment up and threw it into the fire. His Informant was grating on his nerves, always asking him to act quicker. Well, that was all very well to say but what could he do while she was in that damned school? He had been spending his time trying to establish a bond with her father and see if he couldn't get the man to force his daughter to marry him. Merlin knew she wouldn't do it of her own free will.

She would be his wife though, it would just take time. The bond between their families was already in his favour and her father was starting to play along too. And if he couldn't win him over through more traditional means, he could always bribe him. Sebastian knew from his father that the Black family were losing money, and a small token of appreciation could certainly go a long way…

The Informant, however, wanted things done now. He had his own motives for splitting up the couple and hadn't deigned to share them. Sebastian assumed it was a revenge for some petty thing Malfoy had done, the Informant seemed like that sort of person.

Sebastian had been outside, taking in some air at the wedding when he was pulled into a cluster of trees and bushes. He started to protest, but the man silenced him, he was cloaked, with the hood pulled down over his face, so Sebastian never saw his face.

"You want that woman… Narcissa," he had said. "I can make that happen."

And thus, the unlikely duo was born. Sebastian had thought the man would want money, but he turned down every offer, saying he had his own. "And if all goes to plan, I won't have to worry about money ever again," he had said.

~*~


End file.
